Man Who Loved Yngve, The (2008) Mannen som elsket Yngve

The Man Who Loved Yngve (2008) or Mannen som elsket Yngve

(English subtitles soft encoded.)

----------------------------EXCELLENT MOVIE !!--------------------------

SYNOPSIS:

November 1989. The Berlin wall collapses. In Stavanger town, Jarle Klepp (17) has no idea that everyting is about to change. So far he has got everything; the best girlfriend in the world, and the world's coolest buddy. Together they will soon launch Stavanger's toughest punk band, "Mattias Rust Band". But then the new boy in class, Yngve, appears. He is not like anyone else, and Jarle is confused. He does not know what to do. All he knows is that he cannot stop meeting Yngve, even if it involves doing things he really hates, like listening to Duran Duran and playing tennis. Slowly but steadily Jarle lets everyone around him down, and finds out what it means to stand alone.

This is one of the big success stories of 2008 in Norwegian film. Originally a bestselling bookabout a homosexual crush in the life of 17 year old Jarle, it plays very well on film too.

Jarle, who defines himself as very much hetero, plays guitar in a local punk band, is a red blooded anarchist, and hangs out with his girlfriend during the weekends. He lives with his single mum and secretly hates his dad, who is bullish and alcoholic.

Then Jarle meets the new guy in school, the angelic looking Yngve, and his life is turned around. The question here is: Can you accept a young boy having a homosexual love affair, and still not define himself as gay? The author of the book, Tore Renberg, is pretty vague on the issue of Jarle, and insists the story is about romantic obsession, not homosexuality. You should have a look and decide for yourself. I personally loved it - it's fresh, funny, youthful and full of insight. Yngvar.



REVIEW:

Vibrant coming-of-ager "The Man Who Loved Yngve" offers a bittersweet look at a tumultuous time in a troubled teen's life. scripter Tore Renberg's adaptation of his bestselling novel of the same name gets a lively translation to the bigscreen from debuting feature helmer Stian Kristiansen. Likely to jibe with Euro youth markets in arthouses and ancillary, pic ranked as the third most successful Norwegian film of 2008 and also nabbed domestic awards for film, director and editor.

Briefly framed by the contempo p.o.v. of protag Jarle Klepp (up-and-coming talent Rolf Kristian Larsen), this story of high school hijinks and the casual cruelty of youth unfolds circa 1989 in provincial Norway. Just as the Berlin Wall unexpectedly collapses, an unforeseen situation causes Jarle's insular world to implode.



Jarle is 17 and something of an outsider; he and his mother (Trine Wiggen) live apart from his alcoholic father (Jorgen Langehelle). An ardent leftist and lover of cult rock, Jarle and best buddy Helge (Arthur Berning) are launching their own punk band with the support of Jarle's pretty g.f., Katrine (Ida Elise Broch). When athletic, dreamy new boy Yngve (Ole Christoffer Ertvaag) arrives at their school, Jarle becomes surprisingly smitten.



Sidestepping any coming-out scenarios or true exploration of same-sex attraction, the script concentrates instead on how Jarle's secret crush affects his relationship with Katrine, Helge and the band. Curiously, the louche depiction of a gay hairdresser (Kristoffer Joner) makes the pic seem slightly homophobic, as does a scene in which drunken Jarle publicly humiliates Yngve for his naive admiration despite his private feelings.



Thanks to Kristiansen's confident direction and the convincing playing of the youthful cast, the film excels most in the realistic depiction of teens struggling to find their individual voices amid peer pressure and parental expectations.



The period setting and rebellious attitudes of Jarle and friends are aptly evoked by Mia Koch's spot-on costumes, Trond Hoeines' gorgeous widescreen lensing and well-chosen tunes from leading rock bands of the era, including Stone Roses, the Cure, REM, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Joy Division.



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VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR THE MOVIE:

http://www.mannensomelsketyngve.no/