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SØNNER AV NORGE - Film starring John Lydon

SØNNER AV NORGE - Film starring John Lydon. Picture © Friland 2011

Review by Harry Nordskog

SØNNER AV NORGE - Film starring John LydonSØNNER AV NORGE (2011)
Starring:
Nikolaj - Åsmund Høegh
Nikolaj's father Magnus - Sven Nordin
Nikolaj's mum Lone - Sonja Richter
Johnny Rotten - John Lydon

Music:
Sex Pistols, Pink Dirt, Hærverk, Kjøtt

Crew:
Excecutive Producers - John Lydon & Asle Vat
Director- Jens Lien
Screenwriter - Nikolaj Frobenius
Thanks - John Rambo Stevens
Based on a book by N. Frobenius
Premiere date: 9 September 11

This is a film based on the Nikolaj Frobenius' biographic book "Theory and Praxis". It is set in Rykkinn, a satellite/suburb of Oslo in '78-'79 and is about Nikolaj, a young teenager with a very liberal and hippyish father (Sven Nordin from the Elling movies fame). Loosely based on facts from Frobenius' own upbringing it has become a jolly nice feel-good movie from suburbia where Nikolaj tries as hard as he can to revolt against his liberal father who isn’t so easily provoked, rather the opposite, with the splendid acting of Nordin as his father. But with his friends he easily provokes the rest of his environment as the film starts with a bang!!!

The film is set in '78-'79 - the early start of punk in Norway - and has gone far in its efforts of portraying the right time with original punk posters, nudist camp, and so on. The fact it is not stereotyping the punks is refreshing and adds more authenticity to the movie. This takes the viewer on a 1 hour 58 minutes time travel with no annoying inserts from the 21st century.

After a scene setting episode, Nikolaj cuts and colours his hair, jumps into ripped and torn clothes and puts on his military boots, and the fun in his life starts. He starts a band, The Dirt, (based on Frobenius own band, Pink Dirt, which released one of the first punk records in Norway). The rehearsal scenes with the band are very good. We also get to hear two tracks from them plus two other Norwegian bands; Kjøtt and Hærverk  (Kjøtt debuted on vinyl in ‘79 and Hærverk in ’80).

Picture © Friland 2011

The soundtrack for the movie is excellent, especially when Nikolaj listens to the Sex Pistols for the first time. Afterwards, his father listens to NMTB and buys a motorcycle jacket and starts to join in for The Dirt’s rehearsals, and even gets to play the drums with them after the original drummer goes into speed spasms. Nikolaj can’t stand his dad in the band and quits after their debut gig. Nikolaj starts to speed on his bike a little bit more which ends with the grand finale where he stalls his father’s motorcycle and drives it full speed into and up the stairs to his school.

He is brought to the hospital by the police, and in a dream sequence, Johnny Rotten pops up to explain to the young Nikolaj about excrements and life in a very nice way!  We get gobbing, GSTQ two times, Pretty Vacant, Anarchy in the UK and Liar, speed snorting and other things common in the '78-'79 punk era in Norway.

The Dirt get a gig with Kollaps (one of my favourite bands of that time) and De Sjenerte, at the legendary club PILEN (Oslo's Roxy). That’s a success, and not many months after, The Dirt (i.e. Pink Dirt) releases Norways first punk 7" in Norway.

Picture © Friland 2011

It is a very well played movie with excellent performances from the main characters, especially Sven Nordin, Asmund Høegh and Anton, the vocalist in The Dirt.  This is a feel good movie with a great future!  Here in Norway the movie has been rewarded with 5 out of 6 from the majority of the film critics in Norwegian newspapers. The team behind it have done a great job! Kudos to them!

The film has already been sold to France, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, and is one of three Norwegian films contesting Norway's Oscar candidate. Oh yes, the Discovery channel has banned the trailer for the film!

Review by Review by Harry Nordskog (9th September 2011)

Listen to John talk about the film and watch an extract. Click here.

Picture © Friland 2011


All pictures © Friland 2011. www.dagbladet.no / SØNNER AV NORGE 2011


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