Norwegian Dream (2023) User Reviews

Nightmare of the migrant worker

[chong_an · 7/10 · 1 June 2023]

Somewhat running from gaybashing in his homophobic Poland, Robert goes to Norway, learning to work at a fish processing plant, sharing a room in a worker dormitory. He meets co-worker Ivar, who is also the adopted son of the owner, and an aspiring drag artist. Robert's upbringing and experience has him running hot and cold towards Ivar.

Things get complicated when Robert's mother arrives, fleeing debts left behind in Poland, and without immediate employment prospects. Given that the migrant workers have employment and rental contracts that they hardly understand, and are to their disadvantage, a union signs them up, to demand a better collective agreement. As they head towards a strike, the owner makes Robert an offer he can't refuse.

I saw this at the Inside Out film festival, with "Robert" in attendance, and he verified that the situation in Poland was not good for LGBT folks. The situation in the plant was interesting, as was the pressures of running a medium-sized business.

While the scenery was nice, I didn't find a lot of chemistry between the 2 principals, and in some ways the script had omissions, including the characters not communicating well. So this is OK but not great.

A good story, but a flawed execution

[mieriks · 6/10 · 13 October 2023]

This movie, about a 19-year-old Polish immigrant working at a fish factory in Norway who has feelings for his colleague, is an okay romance movie.

First of all, it has a good story itself. It shows the life of a young man struggling to fit in his new job in the foreign country Norway among other poles. The protagonist Robert wasn't very expressive, but you could still manage to understand his feelings and thoughts, which I think was well done. The focus was always on his eyes, and his eyes told us a lot.

The inner story represents important themes, like immigration, stereotyping, judgment and identity, through the conflicts between the characters. These themes are relatable to everyone, and the answer to the message of movie is cooperation, which is the key to success.

In terms of the storyline, the first act was engaging and it held on to my attention. After the first act, it went slightly downhill throughout. The second act had some turning points, but it still felt bland in some way. One of the reasons may have been the relationship between Robert and his partner Ivar. Their romance was engaging, but their conflict felt forced, unfortunately. The pace felt uneven sometimes, too. Once I thought there would be a third act, the movie suddenly ended. I expected some sort of a climax. I anticipated something more, so this was a little disappointing. The fish had no tail.

Otherwise, the cinematography was appealing with its handheld camera that put us right into the moment, but I have to admit that I wanted more music. I see the point of focusing on the present moment, but to make the situation even more engaging, I personally would add more music.

This is a well-intentioned movie with a flawed execution. The first act is engaging, introducing the protagonist and themes of immigration, stereotyping, judgment, and identity. The second act is less successful, with a forced romance and uneven pacing. The movie lacks a satisfying climax, ending abruptly. Despite its flaws, the movie is still worth watching for its strong story and appealing cinematography.

a missed opportunity

[onefineday36 · 6/10 · 23 July 2023]

'Norwegian Dream' touches lots of topical issues that could have developed much further and potentially controversial - immigrant workers and exploitation of them, homophobia in Poland, an adopted black son who performs in drag, seemingly open but in fact rather hypocritical attitude of Norwegians in regard of the above issues... It could have been especially a great opportunity to tell the story from the Polish immigrant worker's point of view (as opposed to in British or German pop culture where Polish plumber/painter/farm hand/cleaner/etc are treated as a footnote or a background). When Poland is deemed soon surpass UK and Germany's economic indicators and yet its politics on its regressive path (of rising homophobia and xenophobia, for example), the film could have been a timely comment and a self-reflection... But unfortunately none of it really develops beyond a mere predictable dramatic device, while the drama itself (namely Roberto's emotional struggle and romance) also fails to go truly deep and touching. There's nothing out of place or offensive. Actings are adequate, cinematography, editing, production value all delivers... It's all very watchable... but it lacks a punch, a surprise, a grip.

It's a pity that I would be remembering this film more as what it could have been than what it is.

Worth A Watch

[martimusross · 6/10 · 3 July 2023]

Norwegian Dream

Once you got through the bleak and miserable setting this movie came together in a fairly decent way.

Some of the basic propositions stretched credulity, these workers have come from Poland to Norway to earn money that they cannot earn in Poland. This means you have to put up with a lot to establish a life and get on, and thus it was so. The whinging and moaning about everything is not consistent with getting on.

It is a bizarre story line that Ivar keeps pushing Robert to come out of the closet and/or acknowledge him in public when surely just to have met someone be having fun together is the main thing. To be revealed in this place and at that time would have been the end of everything.

We had some committed acting however subtitles always make things seem more profound than they are. Robert is 19 I can't see the need for the script to rush his story it didn't add anything.

I'm giving this a 6 outta 10 I was well worth watching.

Not a bad movie, but could have been great.

[fabrizio-297-905998 · 6/10 · 9 July 2023]

After the opening scene of the movie, I thought this was going to be a niner (9/10) movie! Very interesting situation, unusual place, maybe the scenery was going to be great, and the love story was going to be very original. A black Norwegian, a fishery in the kings of oil of Europe, a gorgeous young polish gay worker, this was going to make a sparkling mix.

Well, then, first, I felt uncomfortable with the use of English as the main language. In some parts, they speak English between Polish workers. Then there was not much scenery, not much Norwegian cultural stuffs, nor polish. For the journey in the northern kingdom, one will have to watch something else.

Then there's the union story, and the conflict wasn't really developed. I do know that Norway isn't in the EU, it's possible that work regulation might be weird, but that contract story was not depicted well enough to get us involved. I even felt it very fake. Such as workers applauding each other at the union meeting, which is so American. Is Norway and Poland so far from European social behavior ? This is not at all my first Nordic movie, I traveled several times up there, and I'm sure there's something wrong.

A 5 minutes scene with a punk grandma did not unlighted much the very flat plot.

I started to check my watch after 45mn.

There's the love story. If there was something great left in the movie, it should be the love story, so I expected big drama, sensual first encounter, first kiss, forbidden love heat, and great ending and coming out at the face of the polish workers known to be superconservative roman Catholics.... There's a conflict, but they just forgot to play it angry. So, big things expected... that you'll never get. Even a good music or play list choice to support it, is missing.

I didn't see any depth in the characters. Worse, I felt Hubert Milkowski (Robert) uncomfortable acting gay. No chemistry between the two. No tenderness. Even the first kiss is extremely fake, they barely touch lips ! If we had to compare with Clark Gable kissing Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939), or Ashton Sanders kissing Jharrel Jerome in Moonlight (2016), this movie should be rated 1.

It's well known that young boys wait a long time before doing serious things (!?). Well, when they finally (finally!) are going to have sex, they fake a French kiss, and it's very badly simulated. They even keep distance between their chests. And, not much more sensual to see, the love scene is cut by Robert laying down in the grass looking at the sky ! It could be to pass the Polish film censorship, if it's ever screened over there. Even in a Japanese gay themed movie, where censorship is way stricter, there's much more warmth.

There's also a very fake scene when he dives into the sea and plays like it's freezing. But this is summer : at the beginning of the movie, in the car, it's 5pm on his cell phone, and it's daylight, and, it's night at night, so they are not up north on the Arctic, it's the North Sea, and it is not that cold at all.

What's the point of the movie? Foreign workers in Norway? Homophobic Polish? Love separated by two cultures? It's only 88 minutes long. The moviemakers did not make a choice, and neither matter is well-developed.

The end credit says dedicated for those who fight for the right to love, but I didn't see such fight in this story. Parents are finaly somewhat okay, I mean compared to my own experience. The movie skipped truly homophobic stuffs. Not to hurt ? If you're not aware that the Polish government is superconservative about gay rights along with the Polish church, you just don't get what this movie is about.

And where's the end ? Right after watching this film, because of this end, I was ready to rate it 2. It's a french arthouse movie ending. You're aware.

Tries To Cover Too Much Ground

[brentsbulletinboard · 6/10 · 26 September 2023]

Coming out stories have become a staple of LGBTQ+ cinema over the years, and, through the years, these offerings have increasingly come to distinguish themselves by incorporating greater and more specific details about the circumstances under which these tales unfold. Adding such context has significantly helped these films establish themselves as stories that go beyond being works of fundamentally basic gay-themed cinema. However, by including these additional narrative elements, it's become incumbent on the creators of these pictures to seek to harmoniously integrate these supplemental aspects into their stories to make them more complete offerings. Such appears to have been the intent behind director Leiv Igor Devold's third feature outing, the story of a closeted laborer (Hubert Milkowski) who leaves his native Poland to take a job in Norway, hoping that he'll find a more tolerant way of life compared to the bigoted attitudes prevalent in his homeland. Upon arrival, however, he finds adjustment difficult, partly because he's unaccustomed to his newfound freedom and partly because of other challenges faced by immigrant workers, such as the bald-faced disrespect often inflicted on them, issues related to the difficulty involved in union organizing and seeking ways to balance his life in Norway with that of relatives back in Poland. All of these story threads have merit, too, but this release struggles to find an effective degree of integration, prompting the narrative to frequently wander as if lost in the Scandinavian woods. That's unfortunate, given that all the makings of an engaging story are present here, but they never quite gel into a cohesive whole, leaving viewers wondering exactly what the filmmaker and script writers were ultimately going for. Granted, the film shines a bright light on the widely held illusion of a "Norwegian dream," one that sadly seems to mirror its equally illusory American counterpart, but, that consideration aside, this tale ultimately raises more questions than it answers, leaving viewers as unsatisfied as its disillusioned protagonist. Indeed, staying put might not be the wisest decision for someone in need of making a change, but then an alleged panacea might not be the answer either. As ambitious as it might be to try to convey that notion cinematically, some things just don't work out in the end, as this film illustrates.

An impressive film with a strong message

[madssterrinilsen · 9/10 · 28 June 2023]

This is a short review without any spoilers. Director Leiv Igor Devold's Norwegian Dream is a powerful feature film that challenges Norwegian audiences to see Norway from an outsider's perspective. The film revolves around young and queer individuals, vulnerability, and what it means to be an outsider. It balances these themes successfully and raises important questions while hinting at answers. The film also explores the tension between traditional masculinity and queerness, as well as the conflicts arising from national and social boundaries. Norwegian Dream is an impressive film with a strong message. Well done to everyone involved in the production! Definitely worth a watch!