Homesick (2015) User Reviews

Forbidden love

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 31 May 2021]

You may wonder about the rating - I didn't check why, but a drama usually does get lower ratings, because ... you know it's more story driven. This is both story driven and character driven though ... and there is a fair amount of sex/intercourse too. Which includes nudity and some violence - just making sure you are aware of that.

The acting is really good and while you may not feel any love for the characters or their behaviour (no pun intended), it is quite the intriguing story it tells us here. We know this is something that shouldn't be happening ... but we also know that certain things seem impossible to avoid ...

Little style, no substance

[ExploringFilm · 3/10 · 23 June 2015]

I saw this in the cinemas around the time it opened, where there were about three other people present - perhaps an indication of this film's lack of an audience. Charlotte is a young dancer without a clear direction who on a whim falls in love with her half-brother. The films turns into a sister/brother love drama, Anne Sewitsky's latest film has a nice soundtrack, cinematography and at times great locations and scenery from wintery Oslo.

But that's where all the positives end. This rather rosy incest fantasy goes horribly wrong inn the execution. The acting from the lead and co-stars is uneven and awkward, ranging from amateurish play by boyfriends and friends to forced 'happy' montages that strike me as inherently fake. Not to blame them; actors' aren't really given much to work with; the script and dialogue is inconsistent and so full of trite clichés, sentences and awkward pauses that makes a Jon Fosse play seem a dazzling circus show by comparison.

The old need for 'suspense of disbelief' comes into play here. Like other Sewitsky films this one too offers no back story, explanation or justification for any of the actions of the main characters. The film also fails to offer up any reasons for Charlotte's troubled background rather than old tropes like the dying dad or the uncaring mom. Dialogue gives us no clues, and characters never interact in any meaningful way. The result is something that tries to play like a meaningful drama but ends up like a disconnected, awkward black comedy, somewhat a cliché of Scandinavian cinema.

The movie is profoundly confusing on every level. The worst scenes are the sex scenes; prolonged and pointless; failing to achieve anything interesting with characters or plot.

As a result this is a film with a little style but no substance.

In the mood for long

[ilozzoli · 7/10 · 13 May 2022]

Charlotte (played well by Ine Marie Wilmann) has a lot of mommy/daddy/brother/family issues, but she tries hard to hide them and live a normal life. As it turns out, the road to normalcy leads her to even weirder places. The plot is unimportant, the dialogue is not particularly inspiring either; and while the production value is also high, the atmosphere is what makes this movie good. Loneliness and emotional confusion are portrayed well; if you like movies about human weirdness you will probably like this one as well.

Totally unconvincing

[marydm-43470 · 3/10 · 5 March 2020]

The camera is constantly focused on the face of the heroine who repeats the same facial ticks and expressions no matter what the mise en scene or part of the "plot" is. It's thus hard to work out what the characterisation is supposed to convey in terms of the emotions and psychology of the character. Same goes for all the other characters. Interesting that the only two convincing scenes involve secondary characters, the ill dad in hospital and the best friend telling our heroine what she really feels about the friendship. The plot is contrived, the sex scenes verge on the sadistic and voyeuristic and the whole thing is just messy and unsure of where it's heading. The relationship between mother and daughter only hinted at, never fully fleshed out. One of those movies one watches compulsively because it's so bad. Very unlike stuff that normally comes out of Norway. Three stars for the gorgeous cinematography of the snowy urban scapes.

Emotionally complex drama

[marsh-victor · 8/10 · 2 July 2022]

Transgressing the edges of taboo, this complex and absorbing drama traces the development of an obsessive and erotic romance that develops between two adult half siblings. Brilliantly sustained by the remarkable emotional range displayed in Ine Marie Wilmann's extraordinary, nuanced performance and writer-director Anne Sewitsky's wise and subtle telling.

A disappointing execution/ending

[kenztay · 4/10 · 19 January 2021]

The plot is interesting, GSI isn't usually a subject that prompts an entire film and seeing the trailer only made me more interested.

The film however is kind of dull. I wanted to see more scenes with Charlotte and Henrik, to have them at least talk about what they're doing and the consequences.

The ending was atrocious.

Better than morning coffee

[salanderlaura · 10/10 · 24 March 2021]

More sex than in any other erotic movie like Fifty Shades.

This is Fifty Shades of OMG YES

Heart breaking story goes beyond all taboos

[bekiwij · 10/10 · 18 July 2023]

I must say acting was brilliant ! I really felt how she felt for a second ... we are all craving something inside and so did the siblings in this movie. They both blamed each other's existence for not receiving their mother's love. He grew up and became a narcissist while she grew up feeling inadequate and insecure. When they met, it was a match made in hell .. the perfect narcissist-victim pairing ! He finally connects with his mother and she finally found the courage to do what's best for her after he deserted her ... now it's up to them to either move on and become real siblings or fall back into the same old habits ... that is up to your imagination!

Overall not a very good movie.

[anniallendaw · 3/10 · 21 October 2019]

I take no issue with the subject nor the cinematography. My main issue lies with the main character. I know Norwegians tend to have a lot of akward silences and moments in general but this went above and beyond with that.

Most of the film contains akward and even cringy moments with the main character being, for lack of a better word, weird.

The akward silence, her inability to make eye contact with other cast members, random and ill-placed giggles...for some this might be whateverman.jpg but for me it kinda made the movie unwatchable.

Also the ending sucked, left a lot of questions and loose threads.

Who cares about existing spouses and relationships?

[oparnie · 5/10 · 14 November 2023]

Charlotte doesn't care at all about her relationship with Dag, who is conveniently away for some days.

Hendrik is even married, but both don't care at all about the pain and grief they will cause, and DO cause.

Charlotte isn't even honest after Dag returns, he only catches her infidelity after getting suspicious of her getting texts late at night, and reading a text from her to Hendrik, written while Dag was sleeping next to her, saying: "I want you to be deep inside me".

She even denies anything first, and only says "sorry", "sorry" and starts sobbing, after he cites that text she wrote.

Dag walks away, and is gone.

Last scene, she waits for Hendrik to come to her, the hug, and the movie ends.

In the end, a disgusting pair of "lovers", and the only good thing is that at least Charlotte didn't start a family yet, so that it was easy for Dag to walk out of her poor life.

Hendrik fares much worse, having a wife and a child.