It's called a crime comedy, but you have to listen very closely to catch the humor. It's dry, deadpan and hysterical -- in a very Nordic way. Ulrik (Stellan Skarsgard) has just been released from prison for having committed murder, just like 'Mr. Bjarnfredarson' in neighboring Iceland, review above. There seems to be a run in post-prison adjustment films from Scandinavia this year. But Ulrik is not at all like Georg Bjarnfredarson in character. He really is a very gentle man -- he's never harms children or women or even cause a woman embarrassment by rejecting her advances, he has very good table manners, and keeps silent rather than airing his opinions. But he is actually a low ranking career gangster who has killed. Ulrik has reached a point in his life where he wants to follow the straight and narrow; he's tried of his criminal ways and wants to start fresh. Ah, but can he? Obstacles are put up in his path that he has to either overcome or succumb to. Even the bleak, dreary, featureless Norwegian vista and numbing suburban environment seem to offer no hope. No fjords, mountain ski trails or medieval towns in this film, only the view of Norway seen by inhabitants on a daily basis.
Ulrik is a very sympathetic character one can't help but root for. Hopefully, he'll figure out a way to smooth out the wrinkles in his path to a crime free life. Stellan Skarsgard is fun to watch acting in his native language, after having been identified in films such as the 'Bootstrap Bill ' trilogy as our hero's father, Bootstrap Bill. Now, instead of being engrained in the hull of the Black Pearl, he's an auto mechanic ex-con dealing with the stupidity and duplicity of his gangster boss (Bjorn Floberg) and his sidekick (Gard B. Eidsvold) (seen flanking him in the photo, left, about to purchase a gun for his next crime). He also has romantic problems to deal with that seem insurmountable. It's all fun, in a rather glum way. But be patient and you just might see Ulrik give a hearty laugh.
A Somewhat Gentle Man (Norway)
Director: Hans Petter Moland
Writer: Kim Fupz Aakerson
Cast: Stellan Skarsgard, Bjern Floberg, Gard B. Eidsvold, Jorunn Kjellsby, Jan Gunnar Roise, Bjorn Sundquist , Jannike Kruse Jatog
Time: 105 min.
Playing at the Mill Valley Film Festival at the Rafael on October 15, 8:45 pm and at Sequoia on October 17, 8 pm
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