Waste of time

Too much of everything

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

What do you get when you force a diminutive, neurotic mama's boy and a hulking oaf are forced to live together by the Norwegian government? This is the basic premise of Petter Næss's film, Elling. The film begins with the titular character, played with convincing neuroticism by Per Christian Ellefsen, being released from the mental institution where he has lived during the two years following his mother's death. Despite its morbid sounding set-up, Elling is a surprisingly lighthearted film that stays on the side of heartwarming without ever becoming overly silly or sentimental.Elling and his roommate, Kjell Bjarne (Sven Nordin), a giant interested primarily in food and sex, have been deemed ready to face the real world. The Norwegian government provides the pair an enviable, fully furnished apartment in Oslo in which to build their new life. They can keep the apartment on the condition that they make an effort to assimilate into normal life. This includes tasks that are seemingly mundane to us but panic inducing to Elling, including answering the phone and going around the corner to shop for groceries.The film arouses a great empathy in viewers. Though probably not to Elling's extent, everyone has felt fearful in certain settings, even if those fears are irrational. When Elling experiences these moments, Næss uses the camera to put us in his shoes. As the phone in the apartment rings, Elling tries in vain to ignore it, but it overcome by dizziness. The camera rocks almost imperceptibly back and forth, as if we might be overcome with anxiety and fall to the ground with Elling. As Elling learns to conquer his fears, the spinning rooms and rocking camera movements subside.Though they are pushed to action by the tough love of their social worker, Frank Asli, it is primarily Elling and Kjell Bjarne who comfort and encourage each other to grow and take risks. Kjell Bjarne feels little of Elling's fear towards the outside world. He expresses himself through his physical actions, without over thinking any process ("Kjell Bjarne seems to carry every person he meets…strange," Elling notes at one point). Where Kjell Bjarne is a man of few words, Elling is a chatterbox, and though he has trouble conveying it, he seems to possess a deep insight into the personalities of the people surrounding him. Though the two seem to have nothing in common, they form an intimate bond. One touching scene shows the two exchanging Christmas gifts: Kjell Bjarne has painstakingly constructed a model of their apartment out of thousands of matches for Elling, while Elling purchases a lewd watch with a woman on it for Kjell Bjarne ("How did you know I wanted the blonde?!" he exclaims gleefully).As the film progresses, Elling and Kjell Bjarne develop into more independent individuals while still strengthening their friendship. When Kjell Bjarne finds their neighbor, Reidun, drunk, pregnant, and passed out in the stairwell, the two form a tentative yet tender relationship. Though this initially causes Elling to pout and react with jealousy, it enables him to learn how to deal with being alone, which in turn leads to his discovery of his true calling as a poet. After this empowering experience, Elling boldly addresses Kjell Bjarne and Reidun's insecurities about their blossoming relationship and pushes them together When Reidun expresses doubt about Kjell Bjarne ("He never says anything. He's so weird," she complains to Elling), Elling advocates for him ("I prefer the English expression: 'rare,'" he replies).On an excursion to explore his new calling, Elling makes his first friend that wasn't forced upon him, an elderly writer named Alfons. Alfons, Elling, Kjell Bjarne and Reidun, each in their own way social outcasts, form an unlikely family, a support system to lean on. By the end of the film, Elling and Kjell Bjarne are not only on their way to becoming full independent members of society, but are actively benefiting the people around them.Elling never truly delves into the darker side of mental illness, and Elling and Kjell Bjarne's diagnoses aren't explicitly revealed. Kjell Bjarne often bangs his head against the wall and has a hygiene problem, while Elling is incredibly anxious and agoraphobic, but none of these behaviors seem to warrant an extended stay in a mental institution. Do the pair truly have mental illnesses, or are they simply socially maladjusted? Whatever the case, the film never makes cheap jokes about mental illness or uses it as an excuse to dehumanize or stigmatize the characters. Rather, Elling finds its humor in the exploration of two characters with diametrically opposed viewpoints working in tandem to create better lives for themselves.

Very reminiscent in tone of the American Indie "Lars and the Real Girl", "Elling" likewise doesn't play the lunacy of its main character for laughs or even for drama so much but rather goes for uplift." The agoraphobic title character as played by Per Christian Ellefsen comes off very much like American actor Tony Randall playing Felix Unger if Felix was afraid to leave the Manhattan apartment he desperately tried to keep neat. Kjell Bjarne (Sven Nordin) is Elling's state-mandated flat-mate although it is never clear as to why he winds up institutionalized. Most of the movie follows the pair's slowly unfolding adaptation to life in the outside world – although Elling only makes limited and therefore seemingly realistic process. Watching this socialization unfold does provide some of the emotional uplift the film aims for; however, the climax which involves a 9-month pregnant upstairs neighbor clearly puts the "foreign" in foreign film and one wonders if it played as other than genuinely creepy in its native Norway. Eventually, Robin Williams will be cast as the lead in the American adaptation (as he was in the equally Norwegian "Insomnia"), John Goodman will play the sidekick and the studio will hire nine writers to punch up the script with more jokes and rewrite the ending. In short, wait for that version.

Petter Næss's Elling tells the coming of age story of Elling and Kjell Bjarne, a pair of middle- aged Norwegian men taking their first steps into the world after spending time as roommates in a state institution. Through their adventures and misadventures, the two learn how to fit into the world around them, encompassing love, friendship and freedom. Unsure about how to approach even the simplest of social situations, the two find support in the everyday people around them, newfound friends, and each other. Per Christian Ellefsen gives a strong performance as the introverted and sheltered man in the title role. Elling struggles to interact within the world around him, and his anxiety towards becoming a part of the greater society can be felt subtly, yet earnestly. It would be easy for an actor to portray this nervous, if not fearful emotional reaction in the more traditional film role of the externally visible schizophrenic, but Ellefsen holds it in for much quieter, genuine depiction of the socially meek character of Elling. As he makes new friends throughout the film, and participates in new activities such as poetry readings and shopping at the local market, the audience can see Elling's social comfort level rise ever so slightly. Many times he is extremely uncomfortable, and Ellefsen's performance illustrates this detail beautifully, especially in showing a progression of the character throughout the film in minuscule incremental steps.Kjell Bjarne, on the other hand, played by Sven Nordin, performs a contrasting role to Ellefsen, as a girl-crazy, gentle giant looking for love. The two work together beautifully, filling in for the parts the other lacks. The relationship between the men is touching to watch unfold, and their dependence on one another is overtaken only by the encouragement each provides. Always the practical one, Elling keeps Kjell Bjarne on track on such important things as wearing fresh underwear and acting with decency in public, while Kjell Bjarne opens the social doors to the world outside, most notably with their pregnant neighbor, Reidun. Many times the situations acted out by Kjell Bjarne are hilarious thanks to his obliviousness to social expectations, such as when he attempts to ask Reidun out on a date, though his heart is in the right place, and the audience can't help but root for his successes.Elling also gives a look into the perceived condition and effectiveness of the Norwegian State institution–it's a positive one. The film explicitly accepts the men as valid members of society who need just a small push to get them involved. As the two men begin to participate to a greater extent within their environment, many supporters appear, and of particular note, a man Elling meets at a poetry reading named Alfons Jørgensen. A man of some loneliness himself, the intellectual Alfons plays a part in encouraging Elling to take risks and live life fully–even if that entails Elling secretly planting his poetry in boxes of sauerkraut at the local market. Alfons in fact gains as much from the company of Elling and Kjell Bjarne as they do from him. In time, the once very private gentleman learns again what friendship means, and the impact he has in the lives of those around him. In addition to the instances with Alfons, interactions with their social worker, Frank Åsli (Jørgen Langhelle) yield revelations of the possibilities open to Elling and Kjell Bjarne, and his positive reinforcement gives the audience yet another reason to love the two men growing into their respective roles in society. Elling is heartfelt, yet humorous and entertaining at the same time. In many scenes, one could easily laugh or cry at the situations being acted out by Elling and Kjell Bjarne in their attempt to discover how to live life on their own. Petter Næss does a remarkable job in making a film with subtlety that also gives a strong emotional connection with its characters. Elling's look into the daily activities of Norway is anything but monotonous, and the interactions taking place can be seen for the very influential effects they have on real people. The journey we take with Elling and Kjell Bjarne is a coming of age tale for the two men, and a confirmation for the rest of us in considering the significance of even the seemingly simplest individuals.

"Ring….. Ring….. Ring….. Elling pick up the phone!" Everyday tasks, some as simple as answering a phone, we tend to take for granted. For Elling, played by Per Christian Ellefsen, and his roommate Kjell Bjarne, played by Sven Nordin, they do not have this luxury. In the beginning of the Norwegian comedy film Elling, directed by Petter Naess, Elling and Kjell Bjarne meet while living in a Norwegian assisted living home. Elling and Kjell Bjarne are eventually given the opportunity to move into their own apartment in the heart of downtown Oslo. Upon their release, the audience is introduced to Frank Asli (Jorgen Langhelle), who plays the role of Elling and Kjell Bjarne's social worker. It is Frank's job to slowly ease the two friends back into society. Some of the lessons learned throughout the film include how to properly use a phone, where to find a grocery store, how to go out to a restaurant, and how to interact and have relationships with other people. Naess does an excellent job of keeping the audience entertained and attached to the main characters, Elling and Kjell Bjarne, throughout the film.There are four main themes in Naess' Elling, which relate directly to Norwegian culture. The first major theme the audience encounters, is dealing with mental illness. In directing this film, Naess purposely did not give the audience any sort of diagnosis on the mental state of either Elling or Kjell Bjarne. This was most likely done so the audience would be less able to relate to the characters' illness. It seemed as though Naess would rather have his audience focus on the other themes in the film rather than psychiatry. In Norway, cases of depression are extremely high and effects of this are displayed in Elling and Kjell Bjarne as well. For instance in one of the opening scenes of the film, Elling and Kjell Bjarne are laying in bed and Kjell Bjarne reveals how frustrated he is that in all his life, he has never had sex with a woman. The audience can see Kjell Bjarne has developed a sense of loneliness and tell there is missing something in his life. Elling seems to have more of an anxiety problem. When they first moved into the apartment, Elling is asked to go shopping for food and ends up having an anxiety attack. Naess does an excellent job with the sound to enhance the anxiety scenes. For instance, when Elling is walking to the store, the background noise (cars, music, etc.) is elevated dramatically. I found this to be a very effective way to help enhance the situation.Another major theme touched upon by Naess concerns the Norwegian welfare system. In Norway, the tax burden of gross domestic products (GDP) is 45%. Due to this, all Norwegian citizens and residents have their health care insurance coverage paid for. This theme reoccurs over and over again in the film as Elling and Kjell Bjarne continuously go out and spend what they call the "state's" money on food, supplies and even phone sex calls. Frank is portrayed in the film as a tough love social worker. It is his job to check up on the two men every so often and to make sure they have enough money from the "state". Closely related to the welfare system, another main theme of the film is the Norwegian political system and more specifically the Norwegian Labor Party. Several times throughout the film, the audience sees pictures of Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway's first female prime minister) hanging up in the background. Usually these pictures are accompanied by a red rose, which is the symbol of the Norwegian Labor Party. Although Elling never actually says it directly in the film, it is implied he views Brundtland as a motherly figure. Brundtland helped with creating a better welfare state in Norway when she was leader of the Norwegian Labor Party and because of this, Elling is able to enjoy all of his' benefits without having to work. The last prevalent theme I wish to discuss is the substance use and abuse seen throughout the movie Elling. As I mentioned before, there are very high taxes in Norway and taxes for alcohol and tobacco tend to be on the upper end of the scale. It is very expensive to buy alcohol and tobacco and because of this, Norwegians are forced to get creative if they want to save their money. At one point in the film, we see Frank Asli rolling up his own tobacco to smoke so that he can avoid having to buy cigarettes. In terms of Alcohol, Norway puts a higher price on driving under the influence. As a penalty for a DUI in Norway, the driver is forced to pay a fine based on their income. Tickets can get pretty expensive for those with well paying jobs. There are also more DUI checkpoints in Norway as well and this is evident in the film when their new friend, Alfons Jorgensen (Per Christiansen), gets randomly stopped on the way to his cabin. Even though Alfons had not been drinking, he was still stopped by the police just to be safe. One aspect of this theme I found unnecessary is when the audience is introduced to Reidun(Marit Pia Jacobsen), we find her drunk and falling down the stairs. Reidun is a pregnant lady who lives in the same apartment building as Elling and Kjell Bjarne. She is a smoker and a drinker even though she is pregnant. I don't think it is a good portrayal of Norwegian society and could have been left out in an otherwise excellent film. Overall I think Elling is a light hearted and excellent Nordic comedy. The acting is superb and the themes, for the most part, are a wonderful portrayal of Norwegian society. Naess does a wonderful job and I would recommend the movie Elling to anyone looking for a relatively clean Norwegian film.