Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

gogoschka-1 A comedy masterpiece. Sometimes tragic but more often outrageously funny, this wonderful tale of two mentally challenged outcasts caught me fully unprepared.There wasn't a single face without a wide grin in the audience after this film. An amazing script, fantastic actors: this was the feel-good movie of 2001. 9 stars out of 10.In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites: imdb.com/list/ls070242495

Rebecca Lynn What do you get when you force a diminutive, neurotic mama's boy and a hulking oaf are forced to live together by the Norwegian government? This is the basic premise of Petter Næss's film, Elling. The film begins with the titular character, played with convincing neuroticism by Per Christian Ellefsen, being released from the mental institution where he has lived during the two years following his mother's death. Despite its morbid sounding set-up, Elling is a surprisingly lighthearted film that stays on the side of heartwarming without ever becoming overly silly or sentimental.Elling and his roommate, Kjell Bjarne (Sven Nordin), a giant interested primarily in food and sex, have been deemed ready to face the real world. The Norwegian government provides the pair an enviable, fully furnished apartment in Oslo in which to build their new life. They can keep the apartment on the condition that they make an effort to assimilate into normal life. This includes tasks that are seemingly mundane to us but panic inducing to Elling, including answering the phone and going around the corner to shop for groceries.The film arouses a great empathy in viewers. Though probably not to Elling's extent, everyone has felt fearful in certain settings, even if those fears are irrational. When Elling experiences these moments, Næss uses the camera to put us in his shoes. As the phone in the apartment rings, Elling tries in vain to ignore it, but it overcome by dizziness. The camera rocks almost imperceptibly back and forth, as if we might be overcome with anxiety and fall to the ground with Elling. As Elling learns to conquer his fears, the spinning rooms and rocking camera movements subside.Though they are pushed to action by the tough love of their social worker, Frank Asli, it is primarily Elling and Kjell Bjarne who comfort and encourage each other to grow and take risks. Kjell Bjarne feels little of Elling's fear towards the outside world. He expresses himself through his physical actions, without over thinking any process ("Kjell Bjarne seems to carry every person he meets…strange," Elling notes at one point). Where Kjell Bjarne is a man of few words, Elling is a chatterbox, and though he has trouble conveying it, he seems to possess a deep insight into the personalities of the people surrounding him. Though the two seem to have nothing in common, they form an intimate bond. One touching scene shows the two exchanging Christmas gifts: Kjell Bjarne has painstakingly constructed a model of their apartment out of thousands of matches for Elling, while Elling purchases a lewd watch with a woman on it for Kjell Bjarne ("How did you know I wanted the blonde?!" he exclaims gleefully).As the film progresses, Elling and Kjell Bjarne develop into more independent individuals while still strengthening their friendship. When Kjell Bjarne finds their neighbor, Reidun, drunk, pregnant, and passed out in the stairwell, the two form a tentative yet tender relationship. Though this initially causes Elling to pout and react with jealousy, it enables him to learn how to deal with being alone, which in turn leads to his discovery of his true calling as a poet. After this empowering experience, Elling boldly addresses Kjell Bjarne and Reidun's insecurities about their blossoming relationship and pushes them together When Reidun expresses doubt about Kjell Bjarne ("He never says anything. He's so weird," she complains to Elling), Elling advocates for him ("I prefer the English expression: 'rare,'" he replies).On an excursion to explore his new calling, Elling makes his first friend that wasn't forced upon him, an elderly writer named Alfons. Alfons, Elling, Kjell Bjarne and Reidun, each in their own way social outcasts, form an unlikely family, a support system to lean on. By the end of the film, Elling and Kjell Bjarne are not only on their way to becoming full independent members of society, but are actively benefiting the people around them.Elling never truly delves into the darker side of mental illness, and Elling and Kjell Bjarne's diagnoses aren't explicitly revealed. Kjell Bjarne often bangs his head against the wall and has a hygiene problem, while Elling is incredibly anxious and agoraphobic, but none of these behaviors seem to warrant an extended stay in a mental institution. Do the pair truly have mental illnesses, or are they simply socially maladjusted? Whatever the case, the film never makes cheap jokes about mental illness or uses it as an excuse to dehumanize or stigmatize the characters. Rather, Elling finds its humor in the exploration of two characters with diametrically opposed viewpoints working in tandem to create better lives for themselves.

gretemiller I was so pleasantly surprised by this Norwegian movie. The characters are exceptionally portrayed. I love the different aspects of crazy that they each have to offer. The key turning points for Kjell Bjarne and Elling also happen at unexpected times, which adds a sort of realism to the film. The simple victories these characters win over their anxiety and previously extremely sheltered way of life is so satisfying. You just want them to succeed so badly, so its refreshing to see their growth. This film is about two men who room together in a state institution. Elling is a 40-year-old "mama's boy" who has lived under his mother's roof and has been babied and sheltered by her his whole life. When she dies, Elling is extracted from his home and placed in the institution where he meets Kjell Bjarne. Kjell Bjarne is a 40-year-old virgin who is obsessed with women, sex, and food. Even their first conversation as roommates together in the state institution is about sex. After 2 years, the roommates are released from the institution and sent to live in an apartment to prove that they can live on their own in society. This is where we meet the character Frank Åsli, a social worker and father figure in charge of Elling and Kjell Bjarne. Elling and Kjell Bjarne go through many struggles to learn simple tasks, such as simply answering the phone or doorbell. A big challenge for the two men is leaving the apartment. They gradually progress by experiencing growth in their fundamental life skills. Finally, they arrive at Christmas. They exchange gifts and watch a Christmas program on TV together, but this is also where we meet Reidun. She is a pregnant, single woman who lives above Kjell Bjarne and Elling. From this point on Elling and Kjell Bjarne gain more independence from each other. Reidun is also the inspiration for Elling to write his first poem. This launches Elling on society by compelling him to share his poetry secretly with the city. This is also how Elling meets Alfons Jørgensen, a famous poet, at a poetry reading. From here on Kjell Bjarne and Elling continue to adapt with the help of their new friends. Much detail was drawn to everyday tasks. It makes you realize how many life skills you actually have and that you weren't born just knowing how to answer the phone or mingle with people comfortably. Although these men are in their 40's and learning very fundamental skills of life, everyone had to learn these skills at one point. Elling and Kjell-Bjarne are so defiant and negligent toward responsibility outside of the apartment. People on the outside of their apartment of any kind make them anxious and uncomfortable to the point that they pretend they aren't home.Elling's scene where he explains that he has two enemies, "dizziness and anxiety", was especially interesting. The way that he personifies those dimensions of his character draws specific attention to them. He later shows off his progress when he ventures out of the apartment by expressing, "they (dizziness and anxiety) didn't join me this time." It is very heart-warming to finally see Elling and Kjell-Bjarne take the baby-steps they need to expand their capabilities. From these steps, their confidence grows immensely and their lives really take off. For example, while Kjell-Bjarne is ogling at the waitress at the pub, Elling is in the public bathroom for the first time trying to pee. The moment when the stranger standing next to him snaps his fingers and Elling is successful for the first time at going to the bathroom in public, is such a momentous occasion. Everything from then on spirals into successful growth towards Kjell Bjarne and Elling becoming more and more self-sufficient. That is one turning point for Elling.There are two key times in this movie. One, when Elling and Kjell Bjarne go to the pub. Elling accomplishes going to the bathroom, like previously mentioned, but then immediately after, he calls Frank on the phone and has a simple conversation just telling him what they are doing. Kjell Bjarne and Elling are so pleased about the boundaries that they just stretched that it snowballs from then on. This is when they are truly becoming independent from the institution and their apartment. The second turning point is on Christmas. Elling and Kjell Bjarne are launched into separate interests, creating independence from each other. Kjell Bjarne meets Reidun, who becomes his girlfriend and he spends a lot of time with her. Meanwhile, Elling starts writing poetry, at that same key moment, which launches him into the world of poetry. Through independence from each other and the state institution, these men gain their lives. The look of joy on Kjell Bjarne and Ellings' faces when they accomplish something is like a whole new world opens up to them. It is incredible to watch Elling and Kjell Bjarne succeed with the help of Frank, Reidun, and Alfons. This movie is truly inspiring and warms your heart to see these men succeed.

Sheldon Way "Elling" is a film with the potential to resonate in a variety of audiences, with people from all over the world, from various cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. It deals with universal issues that are not restricted to Oslo, Norway, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Director Peter Næss does an excellent job of portraying common issues of anxiety, shyness, and confusion in social situations in his characters Elling and Kjell Bjarne. Elling and Kjell Bjarne can teach us a thing or two about the way we think about society and the world today, and maybe even something about ourselves.It's important to note that while both main characters are socially inexperienced, neither of them has a documented disability of any kind. All we know is that they lived extremely sheltered lives, and now that they are adults they must learn to fend for themselves as everybody else does. They're normal people, just like everyone else, they've just been sheltered and are therefore nervous about stepping out into the world outside. Everybody gets nervous in new situations. Most people don't experience it to the same extent as Elling and Kjell Bjarne, but it's something most people can relate to on some level.Society today often looks down on people who are unable to cope with certain social situations or who can't live on their own, unless they have some sort of disability. It seems that we tend to think that they are less deserving than so-called "normal" people. The film does a good job of portraying them as portraying them as "normal" people with a variety of social anxiety issues due to their sheltered lives. We are meant sympathize and relate to the characters as opposed to look down on them. The film seems to be a realistic portrayal of the welfare system in Norway, and might be very different to what an international audience is accustomed to.After living in an institution for a few years, Elling and Kjell Bjarne are given an apartment and a stipend, funded by the Norwegian government, in order to assimilate into the world outside the institution. They're trying to prove that Elling and Kjell Bjarne can live on their own and become fully functioning members of society. Their social worker, Frank Asli, can be rather harsh and demanding, but he succeeds in helping Elling and Kjell Bjarne adapt to the world outside their institution, so one could say that his methods are effective. In Norway's welfare system, everybody is given a chance to live the fullest life possible, and programs are often funded by the state in order to provide equal opportunities.It's important to note that the institution placed Elling and Kjell Bjarne in an apartment together, so that they can help each other with their issues. They each have their own strengths and can help each other with different things. At first, Kjell Bjarne is more comfortable going out in public, so he does the shopping and eventually gets Elling to accompany him to the café for pork and gravy. Elling struggles with going out in public until he finds something that he can do for himself, when he decides to go to a "poetry meeting". He wants to prove to Kjell Bjarne that he can do things on his own too. Elling wants to be the more responsible, sophisticated one. They set examples for each other to follow, and each one wants to be able to do what the other one can, so they essentially end up teaching and learning together about their new world in Oslo."Elling" is a film that almost everyone can relate to. Almost everybody gets nervous in certain situations, whether it's public speaking, flying, going on a ship, or just going to the grocery store. Because Elling and Kjell Bjarne have no documented ability, it's easier for the audience to relate to the characters and to see a little bit of the characters in themselves. It's easy for the audience to laugh along with the characters as they adventure in their new world. It can also provoke thoughts about the way that society deals with people like Elling and Kjell Bjarne, how people view them on the street, and how the government treats them. In the film, they receive support from the government, and reactions to the welfare system in Norway can vary depending on where a viewer is from. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the film, however, is the importance of working together as a team. Elling and Kjell Bjarne are in this situation together, and they eventually are able to overcome their differences to work together and begin to find their place in the world.