ABOUT THE FILM
Main Idea/Topic:
This is a movie about friendship, about how easy it is to forge an everlasting and strong friendship, but we don’t do because of the various prejudices we have, that stop us from trying to approach any fellow human. Is about the importance of communication and helping one another, is a movie about the very essence and extremely importance of loyalty, understanding and empathy in a friendship; a friendship that transcends any kind of barriers or boundaries.
Main Characters:
Isak Bjørvik
Folke Nilsson
Grant
Malmberg
Dr. Jack Zac. Benjaminsen
Green
Dr. Ljungberg
PERSONAL RESPONSES
Initial Responses:
This was a movie about friendship, and about how easy it is to get to know someone, it just takes to say hello. It had been a long time since I saw a movie that touched the topic of friendship, but I had never seen one that talked about friendship itself. It was a movie that tells about how friends are important in our lonely lives and how they bring so much fun into our daily existence.
Later Responses:
Even tough this film was about friendship it did not stayed on the surface of friendships; it carved into the very essence of the meaning of this kind of relationships. It talked about how prosperity forges friendships and how adversity proves them; and when is really dark real friendships glow more brightly than anything else. About how friends are the family we get to really choose, which makes every real friend a non blood related brother, but still as important or even more important sometimes than a real one. This movie shows that a friend doubles our joys and divides our anguishes, and how you can think out loud in front of a real friend without any concern. It talks about the very essence of a real friendship and a real friend who is always there when we most need him.
Who is the writer on the film? / Has the screenplay been adapted from another work?
Jörgen Bergmark
Bent Hamer
The film screenplay is has not been adapted from another work.
Background on the director:
Hamer studied film theory and literature at the University of Stockholm and the Stockholm Film School. In addition to his feature films, he has written and directed a number of short films and documentaries. His first film, Eggs, premiered at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival where it was shown in the Directors Fortnight. That same year, it was shown in competition at the Moscow International Film festival where it won the award for Best First Film; it also received the Fipresci Prize at the 1995 Toronto Film Festival. In April 2004, Hamer started shooting Factotum based on the novel of the same name by US poet and writer Charles Bukowski. The screenplay was written by Hamer and Jim Stark (Mystery Train, Cold Fever), who are producing the film together with Christine Walker (American Splendor). The film premiered at the Kosmorama festival in Trondheim, Norway, on 2005-04-12. Hamer is the owner and founder of the BulBul Film Association, established in Oslo in 1994.
(www.wikipedia.com)
When was the film made? / What is/was the social and political climate like at the time in that country and the world?
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 10 September 2001. The Labour Party won a plurality of votes and seats, closely followed by the Conservative Party. The Labour Party was unable to form a government, and a conservative coalition led by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik of the Christian People's Party came to power. Kjell Magne Bondevik (born September 3, 1947) is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him Norway's longest serving non-Socialist Prime Minister since World War II. Bondevik's first term as prime minister lasted from October 17, 1997 to March 3, 2000, in a coalition consisting of the Christian Democratic Party, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party. His cabinet during his second period in office, a coalition between the Christian People's Party, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party, was appointed October 19, 2001, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg.
The Labour Party is still officially a social democratic party committed to liberal democratic ideals. During the last 20 years, the party has included more market liberalist principles in its policy, allowing for privatization of government-held assets and services and reducing progression in the income tax structure. However, recently it has tightened its ties to the traditional left. The Labour Party profiles itself as a progressive party that subscribes to cooperation on a national as well as international level. The Christian People's Party (Kristelig Folkeparti or Kristeleg Folkeparti, KrF), is a Norwegian political party founded in 1933. It is often referred to as the Christian Democratic Party. The party leader is Dagfinn Høybråten. Their leader from 1983 to 1995, Kjell Magne Bondevik, was one of the most prominent political figures in modern Norway, serving as Prime Minister from 1997-2000 and 2001-2005. KrF follow their European counterparts in many ways, arguing that the state should care for its citizens but not get otherwise economically involved. In the late 1990s they positioned themselves as a family-friendly party. KrF have conservative opinions, arguing against both gay adoption and the prevalent abortion rate in Norway. They also want to ban research on human fetuses, and have made the biotechnology laws in Norway into some of the strictest in the world Venstre (sometimes referred to as the Liberal Party of Norway in international context) is a liberal party in Norway, subscribing to social-liberalism. It is the oldest political party in Norway, founded in 1884. The leader is Lars Sponheim, since 1996. At the 2005 elections Venstre won 5,9% of the votes, and 10 seats in the Storting. Internationally, Venstre is a member of the Liberal International and an affiliate member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. The Centre Party (Senterpartiet, Sp) is a Norwegian political party founded in 1920. Until 1959 it bore the name Bondepartiet ("The Farmers' Party"). The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the great ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralized economic development and political decision-making. Since 1972, it has maintained a principled opposition to Norwegian membership in the European Union. The party has supported both Socialist and non-Socialist coalition governments; between 1930 and 2000 the Centre Party has participated in seven governments, three of which were led by a Prime Minister from the party. During the eight decades since the Centre Party was created as a political fraction of a Norwegian agrarian organization, the party has changed a great deal. Only few years after the creation the party broke with its mother organization and started developing a policy based on decentralization, moving away from a single-minded agrarian policy, like that which has trapped many other European Centre Parties' conduct. The Centre Party's current leader is Åslaug Haga (since 2003). In the 2005 parliamentary election the party ran for government together with the Norwegian Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet, Ap) and the Socialist Left Party (SV), with the Centre Party constituting the "green part" of that Red-Green Coalition. The coalition was successful in winning the majority of the seats in the Storting, and negotiations followed with the aim of forming a coalition cabinet led by the Labour Party's leader Jens Stoltenberg. These negotiations succeeded and the Centre Party entered the cabinet on October 17, 2005 with four ministers.
(www.wikipedia.com)
What does the title mean in relation with the film as a whole?
Try to establish a connection –sometimes clear, sometimes metaphorical.
The title is really clear, and its connection with the movie as a hole is really easy. Almost all the film happens in the kitchen and the most important things of the movie happen in the kitchen. In other words, the movie is telling just what happens in the movie, a bunch of stories that happen in these kitchens.
Describe how the opening credits are presented? / How do they relate to meaning?
It begins with a shot of an empty street and someone crosses the street from left to right, but one can only see his feet, then he crosses again from right to left. The credits are being presented while he is out of the shot. Then it follows a shot of the sky where we see in a corner the side top of some trailers passing, and then the title is presented. It goes back to the lonely street shot with the crossing feet, it cuts to a middle shot of a police officer which is the one that has been crossing thru the shot, it cuts to a subjective camera of the officer seeing the cars from the sky shot coming his way and eventually he lets them pass the frontier or border from Sweden to Norway, there are only two lanes, and the cars change the lane they were driving on because in Norway the are supposed to drive on opposite lane. The credits are presented throughout these shots in yellow letters. The credits are related to the meaning in the fact that they are showing even tough these two countries are next to each other they have different ways of thinking and doing thinks, just different ways. So this crossing of the frontier represents the crossing of barrier cultures between the observers and the hosts further on the movie, it represents the interaction and communication of people in order to become friends voiding any prejudice.
What three or four sequences are most important in the film? / Why?
The scene in which Isak is in the kitchen eating chocolate bars, he looks at Folke, his observer, and stands up and turns the lights off, and then he sits down in the dark and continues eating his chocolate bars. Then Folke wears on a hat with a flashlight and directs the light right onto Isak’s face; this really disturbs Isak and he makes a really funny face between anger and resignation. He stands up turns the lights back on and gets out of the kitchen closing the door behind him. This scene is important because is a reflection of tolerance, it teaches us that is better to be calmed and solve our problems or uncomfortable situations with our heads and not with our hands.
The scene in which Folke takes his breakfast out and starts eating an egg, but he needs some salt to put to it, Isak is watching him through the hole in the ceiling. Folke gets down from his high chair and takes the salt, outs some on his on his egg and feels that Isak is coming, so he fastly puts the salt in the wrong spot and sits in his chair. Isak gets in the kitchen grabs an egg and spins it on the table while Folke is looking at him, then he goes to look for the salt which is not in its place, he starts looking for it all over the kitchen and Folke points him at where he had put it, Isak takes the salt and puts it right back on its place and then he gets out of the kitchen. This scene important because that the actual observer is Isak, and that he is playing with Folke. Also, this scene gets us into Isak’s psychology, by showing us that he does not like people to mess with his things, and that he has a sarcastic sense of humor.
The scene in which Isak is sitting down and wants to smoke some pipe but he is out of tobacco, the Folke from his haigh chair, throws his tobacco to Isak. Isak lit his pipe and gets another cup, he serves some coffee in it and says to Folke “Is time for coffee”, Folke climbs down from his chair and very fast drinks the coffee and says “Thank you”, and then he gets back to his chair. This scene is important because it establishes the beginning of their friendship. Is important because it shows that only one action of good is enough to break any barrier and start a friendship start something to remember.
The scene in which Folke gets sick and Isak gets him to sleep on his horse fro the night in order for him to get well; then, Isak inside the house draws on Folke’s notes, trying to help him with his job. After that, Isak sits in Folke’s high chair and enjoys it, he laughs and falls sleep on it. This scene in important because it shows that in true friendships the way to care about our friends is through empathy: that is to put ourselves in our friends’ shoes to really understand each other. This is not only in friendships, but in life too.
What were your expectations from your knowledge of that country’s cinema or director’s work? / Where they confirmed or disappointed? Explain.
I had expectations about neither the director’s work nor the Scandinavian cinema at all, because I was totally ignorant about it. I had heard about the greatness of Ingmar Bergman, but still I did not know his job, which let me at the same point. Nevertheless, I shall say that even though I had no expectations at all, my expectations were over confirmed, if that is possible. I just bumped into a really tasteful and fundamental film. In my opinion that is, as a person that extremely appreciates real friends.
In your opinion, what was the aim/purpose of this film? Be specific.
The purpose of the film is to make clear that it is impossible for human beings to understand each other just by looking at one another. The purpose of the film is to emphasize the importance of communication between human kind, in order to get along in a peaceful and trustful way.
Give at least five examples from the film (besides the language) which signal it’s being labeled a film from _____________________ (country).
Culture is marked by a provincial scope
Harmless entertainment
Jovial comedy
Rustic melodrama
Far away from philosophical
Popular farce
Provincial nationalism
How does the film try to make its case? (e.g. by emotional appeal, alienation, manipulation of point of view, documentary authority, symbolism, etc.) Give examples. / Is it persuasive?
The movie tries to make its case thru emotional appeal, because it puts us before situations in which we have been before or have thought about it before, it touches us in the guts when showing that friendship that we all have had, it gets us in the head because we identify ourselves with the role of being a good friend, the empathy of the whole idea of friendship. And it does it in such a subtle way that he fall into the characters without noticing, and even more because it does it from a really humorous approach.
Main Idea/Topic:
This is a movie about friendship, about how easy it is to forge an everlasting and strong friendship, but we don’t do because of the various prejudices we have, that stop us from trying to approach any fellow human. Is about the importance of communication and helping one another, is a movie about the very essence and extremely importance of loyalty, understanding and empathy in a friendship; a friendship that transcends any kind of barriers or boundaries.
Main Characters:
Isak Bjørvik
Folke Nilsson
Grant
Malmberg
Dr. Jack Zac. Benjaminsen
Green
Dr. Ljungberg
PERSONAL RESPONSES
Initial Responses:
This was a movie about friendship, and about how easy it is to get to know someone, it just takes to say hello. It had been a long time since I saw a movie that touched the topic of friendship, but I had never seen one that talked about friendship itself. It was a movie that tells about how friends are important in our lonely lives and how they bring so much fun into our daily existence.
Later Responses:
Even tough this film was about friendship it did not stayed on the surface of friendships; it carved into the very essence of the meaning of this kind of relationships. It talked about how prosperity forges friendships and how adversity proves them; and when is really dark real friendships glow more brightly than anything else. About how friends are the family we get to really choose, which makes every real friend a non blood related brother, but still as important or even more important sometimes than a real one. This movie shows that a friend doubles our joys and divides our anguishes, and how you can think out loud in front of a real friend without any concern. It talks about the very essence of a real friendship and a real friend who is always there when we most need him.
Who is the writer on the film? / Has the screenplay been adapted from another work?
Jörgen Bergmark
Bent Hamer
The film screenplay is has not been adapted from another work.
Background on the director:
Hamer studied film theory and literature at the University of Stockholm and the Stockholm Film School. In addition to his feature films, he has written and directed a number of short films and documentaries. His first film, Eggs, premiered at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival where it was shown in the Directors Fortnight. That same year, it was shown in competition at the Moscow International Film festival where it won the award for Best First Film; it also received the Fipresci Prize at the 1995 Toronto Film Festival. In April 2004, Hamer started shooting Factotum based on the novel of the same name by US poet and writer Charles Bukowski. The screenplay was written by Hamer and Jim Stark (Mystery Train, Cold Fever), who are producing the film together with Christine Walker (American Splendor). The film premiered at the Kosmorama festival in Trondheim, Norway, on 2005-04-12. Hamer is the owner and founder of the BulBul Film Association, established in Oslo in 1994.
(www.wikipedia.com)
When was the film made? / What is/was the social and political climate like at the time in that country and the world?
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 10 September 2001. The Labour Party won a plurality of votes and seats, closely followed by the Conservative Party. The Labour Party was unable to form a government, and a conservative coalition led by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik of the Christian People's Party came to power. Kjell Magne Bondevik (born September 3, 1947) is a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 1997 to 2000, and from 2001 to 2005, making him Norway's longest serving non-Socialist Prime Minister since World War II. Bondevik's first term as prime minister lasted from October 17, 1997 to March 3, 2000, in a coalition consisting of the Christian Democratic Party, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party. His cabinet during his second period in office, a coalition between the Christian People's Party, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party, was appointed October 19, 2001, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg.
The Labour Party is still officially a social democratic party committed to liberal democratic ideals. During the last 20 years, the party has included more market liberalist principles in its policy, allowing for privatization of government-held assets and services and reducing progression in the income tax structure. However, recently it has tightened its ties to the traditional left. The Labour Party profiles itself as a progressive party that subscribes to cooperation on a national as well as international level. The Christian People's Party (Kristelig Folkeparti or Kristeleg Folkeparti, KrF), is a Norwegian political party founded in 1933. It is often referred to as the Christian Democratic Party. The party leader is Dagfinn Høybråten. Their leader from 1983 to 1995, Kjell Magne Bondevik, was one of the most prominent political figures in modern Norway, serving as Prime Minister from 1997-2000 and 2001-2005. KrF follow their European counterparts in many ways, arguing that the state should care for its citizens but not get otherwise economically involved. In the late 1990s they positioned themselves as a family-friendly party. KrF have conservative opinions, arguing against both gay adoption and the prevalent abortion rate in Norway. They also want to ban research on human fetuses, and have made the biotechnology laws in Norway into some of the strictest in the world Venstre (sometimes referred to as the Liberal Party of Norway in international context) is a liberal party in Norway, subscribing to social-liberalism. It is the oldest political party in Norway, founded in 1884. The leader is Lars Sponheim, since 1996. At the 2005 elections Venstre won 5,9% of the votes, and 10 seats in the Storting. Internationally, Venstre is a member of the Liberal International and an affiliate member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. The Centre Party (Senterpartiet, Sp) is a Norwegian political party founded in 1920. Until 1959 it bore the name Bondepartiet ("The Farmers' Party"). The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the great ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralized economic development and political decision-making. Since 1972, it has maintained a principled opposition to Norwegian membership in the European Union. The party has supported both Socialist and non-Socialist coalition governments; between 1930 and 2000 the Centre Party has participated in seven governments, three of which were led by a Prime Minister from the party. During the eight decades since the Centre Party was created as a political fraction of a Norwegian agrarian organization, the party has changed a great deal. Only few years after the creation the party broke with its mother organization and started developing a policy based on decentralization, moving away from a single-minded agrarian policy, like that which has trapped many other European Centre Parties' conduct. The Centre Party's current leader is Åslaug Haga (since 2003). In the 2005 parliamentary election the party ran for government together with the Norwegian Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet, Ap) and the Socialist Left Party (SV), with the Centre Party constituting the "green part" of that Red-Green Coalition. The coalition was successful in winning the majority of the seats in the Storting, and negotiations followed with the aim of forming a coalition cabinet led by the Labour Party's leader Jens Stoltenberg. These negotiations succeeded and the Centre Party entered the cabinet on October 17, 2005 with four ministers.
(www.wikipedia.com)
What does the title mean in relation with the film as a whole?
Try to establish a connection –sometimes clear, sometimes metaphorical.
The title is really clear, and its connection with the movie as a hole is really easy. Almost all the film happens in the kitchen and the most important things of the movie happen in the kitchen. In other words, the movie is telling just what happens in the movie, a bunch of stories that happen in these kitchens.
Describe how the opening credits are presented? / How do they relate to meaning?
It begins with a shot of an empty street and someone crosses the street from left to right, but one can only see his feet, then he crosses again from right to left. The credits are being presented while he is out of the shot. Then it follows a shot of the sky where we see in a corner the side top of some trailers passing, and then the title is presented. It goes back to the lonely street shot with the crossing feet, it cuts to a middle shot of a police officer which is the one that has been crossing thru the shot, it cuts to a subjective camera of the officer seeing the cars from the sky shot coming his way and eventually he lets them pass the frontier or border from Sweden to Norway, there are only two lanes, and the cars change the lane they were driving on because in Norway the are supposed to drive on opposite lane. The credits are presented throughout these shots in yellow letters. The credits are related to the meaning in the fact that they are showing even tough these two countries are next to each other they have different ways of thinking and doing thinks, just different ways. So this crossing of the frontier represents the crossing of barrier cultures between the observers and the hosts further on the movie, it represents the interaction and communication of people in order to become friends voiding any prejudice.
What three or four sequences are most important in the film? / Why?
The scene in which Isak is in the kitchen eating chocolate bars, he looks at Folke, his observer, and stands up and turns the lights off, and then he sits down in the dark and continues eating his chocolate bars. Then Folke wears on a hat with a flashlight and directs the light right onto Isak’s face; this really disturbs Isak and he makes a really funny face between anger and resignation. He stands up turns the lights back on and gets out of the kitchen closing the door behind him. This scene is important because is a reflection of tolerance, it teaches us that is better to be calmed and solve our problems or uncomfortable situations with our heads and not with our hands.
The scene in which Folke takes his breakfast out and starts eating an egg, but he needs some salt to put to it, Isak is watching him through the hole in the ceiling. Folke gets down from his high chair and takes the salt, outs some on his on his egg and feels that Isak is coming, so he fastly puts the salt in the wrong spot and sits in his chair. Isak gets in the kitchen grabs an egg and spins it on the table while Folke is looking at him, then he goes to look for the salt which is not in its place, he starts looking for it all over the kitchen and Folke points him at where he had put it, Isak takes the salt and puts it right back on its place and then he gets out of the kitchen. This scene important because that the actual observer is Isak, and that he is playing with Folke. Also, this scene gets us into Isak’s psychology, by showing us that he does not like people to mess with his things, and that he has a sarcastic sense of humor.
The scene in which Isak is sitting down and wants to smoke some pipe but he is out of tobacco, the Folke from his haigh chair, throws his tobacco to Isak. Isak lit his pipe and gets another cup, he serves some coffee in it and says to Folke “Is time for coffee”, Folke climbs down from his chair and very fast drinks the coffee and says “Thank you”, and then he gets back to his chair. This scene is important because it establishes the beginning of their friendship. Is important because it shows that only one action of good is enough to break any barrier and start a friendship start something to remember.
The scene in which Folke gets sick and Isak gets him to sleep on his horse fro the night in order for him to get well; then, Isak inside the house draws on Folke’s notes, trying to help him with his job. After that, Isak sits in Folke’s high chair and enjoys it, he laughs and falls sleep on it. This scene in important because it shows that in true friendships the way to care about our friends is through empathy: that is to put ourselves in our friends’ shoes to really understand each other. This is not only in friendships, but in life too.
What were your expectations from your knowledge of that country’s cinema or director’s work? / Where they confirmed or disappointed? Explain.
I had expectations about neither the director’s work nor the Scandinavian cinema at all, because I was totally ignorant about it. I had heard about the greatness of Ingmar Bergman, but still I did not know his job, which let me at the same point. Nevertheless, I shall say that even though I had no expectations at all, my expectations were over confirmed, if that is possible. I just bumped into a really tasteful and fundamental film. In my opinion that is, as a person that extremely appreciates real friends.
In your opinion, what was the aim/purpose of this film? Be specific.
The purpose of the film is to make clear that it is impossible for human beings to understand each other just by looking at one another. The purpose of the film is to emphasize the importance of communication between human kind, in order to get along in a peaceful and trustful way.
Give at least five examples from the film (besides the language) which signal it’s being labeled a film from _____________________ (country).
Culture is marked by a provincial scope
Harmless entertainment
Jovial comedy
Rustic melodrama
Far away from philosophical
Popular farce
Provincial nationalism
How does the film try to make its case? (e.g. by emotional appeal, alienation, manipulation of point of view, documentary authority, symbolism, etc.) Give examples. / Is it persuasive?
The movie tries to make its case thru emotional appeal, because it puts us before situations in which we have been before or have thought about it before, it touches us in the guts when showing that friendship that we all have had, it gets us in the head because we identify ourselves with the role of being a good friend, the empathy of the whole idea of friendship. And it does it in such a subtle way that he fall into the characters without noticing, and even more because it does it from a really humorous approach.
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