Elling (2001)

When his mother, who has sheltered him his entire 40 years, dies, Elling, a sensitive, would-be poet, is sent to live in a state institution. There he meets Kjell Bjarne, a gentle giant and... See full summary »

Director:

Petter Næss

Writers:

Ingvar Ambjørnsen (novel), Axel Hellstenius,

Stars:

Per Christian Ellefsen, Sven Nordin, Marit Pia Jacobsen

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Per Christian Ellefsen	...	Elling
Sven Nordin	...	Kjell Bjarne
Marit Pia Jacobsen	...	Reidun Nordsletten
Jørgen Langhelle	...	Frank Åsli
Per Christensen	...	Alfons Jørgensen
Hilde Olausson	...	Gunn
Ola Otnes	...	Hauger
Eli Anne Linnestad	...	Johanne (as Eli-Anne Linnestad)
Cecilie A. Mosli	...	Cecilie Kornes (as Cecilie Mosli)
Joachim Rafaelsen	...	Haakon Willum
Per Gørvell	...	Eriksen (as Per Gørvel)
Knud Dahl	...	Waiter at bar
Knut Haugmark	...	Porter

Storyline

When his mother, who has sheltered him his entire 40 years, dies, Elling, a sensitive, would-be poet, is sent to live in a state institution. There he meets Kjell Bjarne, a gentle giant and female-obsessed virgin in his 40s. After two years, the men are released and provided with a state-funded apartment and stipend with the hope they will be able to live on their own. Initially, the simple act of going around the corner for groceries is a challenge. Through a friendship born of desperate dependence, the skittish Elling and the boisterous, would-be lover of women, Kjell Bjarne, discover they can not only survive on the outside, they can thrive. But as their courage grows, the two find oddball ways to cope with society, striking up the most peculiar friendships in the most unlikely places.

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | poet | virgin | anonymity | hiding in a closet | 

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Taglines:

They're packed and ready for the greatest adventure of their lives. All they have to do is get out of the house.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Arsenal Filmverleih (German distibutor) elling.nu

Country:

Norway

Language:

Norwegian

Release Date:

16 March 2001 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Brødre i blodet

Filming Locations:

Oslo, Norway

Box Office

Budget:

NOK 15,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$9,606 (USA) (31 May 2002)

Gross:

$313,436 (USA) (4 October 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Maipo Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sven Nordin who played one of the leading roles in this movie gained 25 pounds to fit the character he was playing.

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Quotes

[Ticket ordering continued]
Train ticket salesman: That'll be 130 kroner per ticket.
Elling: 130 kroner? The last time mother and I took the train to Larvik the ticket cost 25.
Train ticket salesman: That must have been about 30 years ago.
Elling: Yes

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Connections

Followed by Mother's Elling (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Our Time"
The Real Thing
(P. Wagnberg)
(c) 1997 Real Records

User Reviews

An entertaining movie about two insane persons trying to live a normal life

I quite liked this movie because it gives a good characterisation of two socially insane people trying to live a normal life in their own flat after they have been locked up in a institution the last two years. Per Christian Ellefsen is very good as the prudish old maid Elling, and Sven Nordin also made me laugh several times as Elling's friend Kjell-Bjarne who is crazy about women. Elling himself discovers after a while that he is a poet, and starts to write poems which he lays in packets of sour cabbage and he then places the packages back in the store, waiting for someone to buy them.

Some of the most funny scenes in this movies is to see how this crazy persons try to deal with situations which normal persons do not think twice about, but these two persons have two battle with themselves to manage an easy thing as answering a phone call.

However, both Elling and his friend Kjell-Bjarne both reach their goals at the end, Kjell-Bjarne gets himself a woman, and someone reads one of Elling's poems.

I considered this movie to be very funny when I saw it, and I certainly hope that someone will make a sequel two it. I have not yet read any of Ingvar Ambjørnsens books about Elling, but maybe I will do so in the future. However, "Elling" is an entertaining movie which mentions serious problems in a humorous way. I will recommend it for everyone who does not need to see braindead action-movies, and I also hope that this movie will be welcomed be foreign critics. This movie does certainly deserve to be shown in other countries than Norway!