You practically have to wear your thermals while watching "Zero Kelvin", the new Norwegian film that received its U.S. premiere at the Film Forum. This taut drama, set in a remote trapping station in Greenland, boasts the chilliest landscapes seen on a screen since "Nanook of the North".
This minimalistic but highly powerful film depicts the clashes -- cultural and physical -- that occur among the three inhabitants of a fur-trapping station in 1925. Henrik (Gard Eidsvold), a sensitive writer from Oslo, arrives to work for a year. He is met with skepticism from Holm (Bjorn Sundquist) and outright hostility from Randbaek (Stellan Skarsgard, star of "Breaking the Waves"), the two experienced trappers already in place.
Henrik, with his violin and notebooks ever present, goes about his new tasks with enthusiasm, but eventually he runs afoul of the abusive Randbaek, who cannot stomach the new arrival's fussy ways or the manner in which he coddles the animals. Petty arguments and insults eventually lead to more violent altercations, and the atmosphere becomes charged with menace. When Holm gets fed up with his co-workers' bickering and quits, things get even worse. Their cabin is accidentally set on fire, and Henrik and Randbaek are forced to continue their escalating conflict throughout the harsh Arctic.
Director Hans Petter Moland establishes an air of claustrophobic tension in this suspenseful tale, which is enhanced by the strange and exotic beauty of the locations. Although the premise is not terribly original and the execution somewhat schematic, "Zero Kelvin" gathers a real force, also due in no small part to the excellent performances. Skarsgard, in particular, does stunning work in a role that is the opposite of his turn as the sensitive husband in "Breaking the Waves".
The film lays on the psychology a bit too heavily (it turns out that Randbaek's abusive attitudes stem from a betrayal by a former love), and a subplot involving the relationship between Henrik and his fiancee is unnecessarily distracting.
However, those are quibbles. "Zero Kelvin" is the rare adventure film that doesn't insult the intelligence, and it is a powerful evocation of primal struggles set amidst a mythic landscape.
ZERO KELVIN
Kino International
Norsk Film AS
Director Hans Petter Moland
Screenplay Lars Bill Lundholm,
Hans Petter Moland
Executive producer Esben Hoilund Carlsen
Producer Bent Rognlien
Co-producer Sandrew Film AB
Director of photography Philip Ogaard
Editor Einar Egeland
Music Terje Rypdal
Color/stereo
Cast:
Larsen Gard Eidsvold
Randbaek Stellan Skarsgard
Holm Bjorn Sundquist
Gertrude Camilla Martens
Running time -- 113 minutes
No MPAA rating...
This minimalistic but highly powerful film depicts the clashes -- cultural and physical -- that occur among the three inhabitants of a fur-trapping station in 1925. Henrik (Gard Eidsvold), a sensitive writer from Oslo, arrives to work for a year. He is met with skepticism from Holm (Bjorn Sundquist) and outright hostility from Randbaek (Stellan Skarsgard, star of "Breaking the Waves"), the two experienced trappers already in place.
Henrik, with his violin and notebooks ever present, goes about his new tasks with enthusiasm, but eventually he runs afoul of the abusive Randbaek, who cannot stomach the new arrival's fussy ways or the manner in which he coddles the animals. Petty arguments and insults eventually lead to more violent altercations, and the atmosphere becomes charged with menace. When Holm gets fed up with his co-workers' bickering and quits, things get even worse. Their cabin is accidentally set on fire, and Henrik and Randbaek are forced to continue their escalating conflict throughout the harsh Arctic.
Director Hans Petter Moland establishes an air of claustrophobic tension in this suspenseful tale, which is enhanced by the strange and exotic beauty of the locations. Although the premise is not terribly original and the execution somewhat schematic, "Zero Kelvin" gathers a real force, also due in no small part to the excellent performances. Skarsgard, in particular, does stunning work in a role that is the opposite of his turn as the sensitive husband in "Breaking the Waves".
The film lays on the psychology a bit too heavily (it turns out that Randbaek's abusive attitudes stem from a betrayal by a former love), and a subplot involving the relationship between Henrik and his fiancee is unnecessarily distracting.
However, those are quibbles. "Zero Kelvin" is the rare adventure film that doesn't insult the intelligence, and it is a powerful evocation of primal struggles set amidst a mythic landscape.
ZERO KELVIN
Kino International
Norsk Film AS
Director Hans Petter Moland
Screenplay Lars Bill Lundholm,
Hans Petter Moland
Executive producer Esben Hoilund Carlsen
Producer Bent Rognlien
Co-producer Sandrew Film AB
Director of photography Philip Ogaard
Editor Einar Egeland
Music Terje Rypdal
Color/stereo
Cast:
Larsen Gard Eidsvold
Randbaek Stellan Skarsgard
Holm Bjorn Sundquist
Gertrude Camilla Martens
Running time -- 113 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 12/3/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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