Kitchen Stories
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Movie Reviews of Kitchen Stories
Movie Review: Home sweet home . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
This wonderful, quirky film has volumes to say about the need for human intimacy. Set in 1950, as Swedish "home scientists" invade the homes of Norwegian bachelors to study the use of their kitchens, the film describes the limits of scientific inquiry. Perched in what can only be called an adult-size highchair, the home scientist assigned to one bachelor attempts to unobtrusively observe his every movement. Unlike a lab rat, however, the bachelor modifies his behavior to accommodate this intrusion, and before too long the two men are making tentative attempts to alleviate the boredom of it all. A friendship forms that so totally compromises the study that they sometimes switch places as observer and observed. Finally, it is a story about a kind of male bonding, especially as a friend of the bachelor finds himself neglected and takes desperate measures to get rid of the man who has supplanted him. A neatly told story, all the neater for taking place in the snow-covered winter months of the Norwegian countryside.Movie Review: Offbeat Film
Summary: 5 Stars
We like seeing foreign films (less violence, more human emotions) and this was a treat. A Swedish researcher perches on a high platform taking notes about the kitchen habits of a Norwegian bachelor farmer. Both live isolated lives and eventually break through the barriers of observer and observed to form a friendship. Tenuous at first, the lonely men grow to be close friends. This disturbs the farmer's friend and the researcher's boss. There are amusing incidents, but overall it's a quiet film focusing more on personalities than on action.
Set in the fifties, it's an interesting view into Swedish and Norwegian life and thinking. The Philadelphia Inquirer describes it as "Hilarious!" but I think that misleads people to think it is a slapstick comedy. The conflict between the two men and the incidents intrigue and entertain, but it's not a rolling-on-the-floor kind of humor.
Movie Review: Charming story
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this movie because I am learning Norwegian and have started looking for NTSC/Region 1 films shot in Norwegian that haven't been dubbed. The inspiration for this film was, apparently, an actual study in Sweden in the 50s about how much walking a Swedish housewife does in her kitchen. The story of this film is that the Swedish government follows up that study with Norwegian men that live alone. The observer & observee are not supposed to interact at all, but a strong friendship forms between one Swedish observer and an old Norwegian farmer in a tiny village. While there are no spectacular scenes in this story, it has its comic moments and its tragic ones, as in life. If you can enjoy subtle stories that portray the lives of normal people, this is worth a watch. Especially if you're trying to learn Norwegian ;-)Movie Review: The best movie I've seen in a long time.
Summary: 5 Stars
Kitchen Stories is one of the sweetest, funniest movies I've seen. If you don't mind reading subtitles, and much of the movie is non-dialogue, then watch this. It is about the friendship that develops between a crotchety and lonely old Norwegian man and his younger, Swedish intruder, a researcher who has been assigned to observe him in his kitchen to improve kitchen efficiency.
Izak, the old man, had signed up for this project expecting a horse, but instead, found delight in tormenting Folke, the quiet researcher, by taking his kitchen activities elsewhere in the house. Folke is under strict orders to not interact with his subject, but as time goes by the two men, regardless of the circumstances, find enough in common to form a bond. I recommend this to everyone!
Movie Review: Funny and touching
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the best films I've seen in awhile. A Swedish home economics institute is doing a study on kitchen use by single males in Norway in order to more efficiently design home space. As part of the study, an observer must physically sit in the kitchen with their subject. They are not supposed to interact in any way, only observe. Of course, human nature being what it is, that's not how it ends up.
Don't expect a goofy laugh riot; the humor is subtle but fun. The characters are likeable and interesting. The moral of the story is heartening (the power of friendship is the human condition). Be prepared for a sad ending, but one that sticks with you.
Don't let the subtitles deter you. There is not very much dialogue in the film.