"Elling" shows that European actors can also fall victim to "Rain Man"/"I Am Sam"-itis.
We get a Norwegian take on a story-line very similar to the documentary "Best Boy," as we learn that it wasn't just in New York that a generation of developmentally-disabled adults was hidden by shamed or neglectful parents and didn't benefit from special education and mainstreaming, but now are thrust into community, independent living, as are the de-institutionalized Oscar and Felix here, who also seems to have compulsive obsessive disorder, among confusing symptoms.
How they learn their way, such as using telephones, and find tolerantly eccentric guides to the real world is amusing and optimistic.
In the inevitable Hollywood version, I'm quite sure the guiding social worker will not be a leonine chain-smoker, and if he is there'll be a romance for him too.
The subtitles are of the old-fashioned kind where the characters talk excitedly for a couple of minutes and we get one line of written dialog.
(originally written 6/16/2002)
We get a Norwegian take on a story-line very similar to the documentary "Best Boy," as we learn that it wasn't just in New York that a generation of developmentally-disabled adults was hidden by shamed or neglectful parents and didn't benefit from special education and mainstreaming, but now are thrust into community, independent living, as are the de-institutionalized Oscar and Felix here, who also seems to have compulsive obsessive disorder, among confusing symptoms.
How they learn their way, such as using telephones, and find tolerantly eccentric guides to the real world is amusing and optimistic.
In the inevitable Hollywood version, I'm quite sure the guiding social worker will not be a leonine chain-smoker, and if he is there'll be a romance for him too.
The subtitles are of the old-fashioned kind where the characters talk excitedly for a couple of minutes and we get one line of written dialog.
(originally written 6/16/2002)