Have Yourself a Nordic Little Christmas

Home for Christmas  

Hjem til jul Norvège-Suède-Allemagne 2010 | Bent Hamer | vostEN | 90’ | digital | Cast : Trond Fausa Aurvag, Fridtjov Saheim, Reider Sorensen, Ingunn Beate Oyen | D’après : les contes de Levi Henriksen | 6+

In the snowy Norwegian town of Skogli, a labourer needs a doctor who, however, has his own troubles. There’s also an elderly man preparing an esoteric ritual, a vagrant who runs into an old flame, a middle-aged couple in the throes of passion, a boy hopelessly in love with his Muslim neighbour, and a young émigré couple whose car breaks down…

« Sentimental but never sappy, Home for Christmas is cause for celebration. Norwegian writer-director Bent Hamer’s trademark deadpan humor gets a lively boost from the pic’s emotive ensemble, as a multiplicity of steadfast characters manages to transcend holiday-season loneliness, anxiety and depression. » (Variety)