Elling Review
There have probably been too many films made about lovable crazies turned loose on the world, but Petter_Naess' Elling is still a refreshingly good-natured comedy-drama about two mental patients trying to adjust to life in the outside world. Naess and screenwriter Axel_Hellstenius adapted the script from Hellstenius' play, which was itself adapted from Ingvar_Ambjornsen's best-selling Norwegian novel. Per_Christian_Ellefsen, who plays the extremely phobic title character, and Sven_Nordin, who plays Kjell Bjarne, Elling's roommate, and resembles a hulking Scandinavian version of Gérard_Depardieu, both played their parts on-stage. Their long-term familiarity with the characters and material may be what gives their performances and the relationship between their characters such a warm, lived-in feel. At times, Elling and Kjell threaten to become a bit too cute and cuddly (one can imagine Robin_Williams playing Elling in the Hollywood remake), but Naess and Hellstenius leave them with just enough rough edges to suspend belief. They're aided by Ellefsen's appropriately brittle performance (particularly in his inappropriately possessive feelings toward those he cares about) and by Nordin, who tempers Kjell's gruff likeability by allowing us to see glimpses of a violent rage simmering beneath the surface. Josh Ralske, Rovi
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