Filmed in the Norwegian oil capital of Stavanger, this movie became a big hit in Norway in very short time after theatrical release. Obviously, this is because the film struck a chord with the Norwegian audience. Judging by it's Imdb rating at the time of writing (7.3),the registered users who rated it at the herewith site also mostly enjoyed it.
Now, I never saw it in theatrical release, but borrowed a copy on VHS. I saw no antagonist in the movie. There was a protagonist though, and she was one of several cute girls in the movie - for what it's worth.
I was somewhat disappointed the first half hour or so, but then the film really picked up. (There is also a quite amusing scene in the first half hour, in a bar, which I also think will appeal to many film buffs. Watch it, and you'll know what I mean.. ). I do believe that having some knowledge of and experience with youth culture in south west coast Norway helps in getting all the comedic points and a good feel for the general ambience of the film. It wasn't only a hit in western Norway though, so surely there are more than just a few universal puns in there.
It's a movie about being young and not really having too much of a clue in life, whilst at the same time providing more serious pointers about relationships between people in general and between lovers, either new or established ones as such, more especially. But first and foremost it is a whacky feel-good comedy with a lot of slap stick humour, a touch of crazy comedy and some poignant dialogue. Bare with it for the first half hour, and there's a good chance you'll catch an infatuation with it too ! :)
Keywords: norwayfriendshipchristmas
Plot summary
Pia is coming home for Christmas after traveling in England for about 6 months. She wants to catch up with her boyfriend Kristoffer, who was supposed to join her on the trip, but backed out at the last minute. Finding him turns out to be quite a task. While searching, she meets several more or less disgruntled and dissatisfied people. And when Santa turns up, things start happening.—Signy
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
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Actually, a quite entertaining comedy from south west Norway:
Great movie about returning home
This movie is about Pia, who comes back to Stavanger. She wants to find her old boyfriend, Kristoffer, with whom she had a fight, prior to her departure. The movie has two story-lines running concurrently: One, in black-and-white, following Pia's current search for Kristoffer and her encounters, and the other one, in color, telling the story of how Pia and Kristoffer met and what they did until they split up.
While following Pia, we also observe all her friends and their ups and downs. Some of the characters are little more than caricatures, but help create some of the most hilarious scenes in the film. The main characters however, have a lot more depth, and evolve throughout the movie. All the actors show great enthusiasm in their screen-play.
This is a Norwegian must-see about love, friendship, Christmas and coming home.
Very charming!
You definitely do not need to be from Stavanger to enjoy this movie. I love it, and I'm from the other part of the country. The story itself is not very unique or anything, but the actors are good and the dialogue is extremely amusing. I hope they did a nice job translating it, though.. And after all: a movie which starts and ends with Low's "just like christmas" can't be bad :)