Upperdog

Turns out better than it should thanks to good acting and a script that carries on sure of itself even when it stumbles. There are quite a few out of place moments and the shifting tone of humour and drama isn't all that well balanced, but even at it's most awkward it strangely doesn't feel forced. The stories flow naturally without lingering too long and the ending is simple but effective.

Very predictable story with no nuances and mostly poor acting. Didn't believe in the romance plot with Per and Yanne for a second, and some of the scenes towards the end were pretty ridiculous (i.e the moose-hunting scene). Some nice shots though.

I've absolutely no interest in watching these four bland characters going about their love lives and whatnot.

Slow moving norwegian film with by-the-numbers "links" between "seemingly unrelated" characters, some good but several awkward actors. May have become more critical than "needed" once my expectations, fuelled by over-the-top unanimous praise in the Norwegian press, were shattered.

Not as good as everyone says (I can't see how this is a 5/5 film in any way as Norwegian papers would indicate) but it's a really good drama, broken up (and, frankly, almost ruined) by ridiculous comical sidesteps that are mostly out of place. A lot of it is great, a lot of it is mediocre - the cast and direction are fortunately perfect and the story/characters are really engaging. Best Norwegian film in a while.