Ingenting å Le Av (2021)

Stand-up comedian Kasper [Odd-Magnus Williamson] takes three blows in a short period of time: he is kicked off the main schedule of a comedy show for outdated material, is told he has bone marrow cancer and before he can share it with his girlfriend [ Penda Faal], she breaks off the relationship. Kasper is persuaded by his agent Erik Elisabeth [Øystein Martinsen] to go to a support group for fellow sufferers. Gradually he discovers that his personal tragedy is a source of inspiration and starts new relationships. The first half is a nice comic drama with a few surprising moments and more attention to laughter than to tears. Unfortunately Williamson (who also wrote the screenplay) does not escape the temptation of trite sentiment in the hopeful, but far-fetched and sugary denouement.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Funny: most people found the first part better than the second, but for me it was exactly the other way around. After a somewhat laborious and slow start, I found it turned out to be, all in all, a fine combination of comedy and drama. I found the beginning a bit too heavy (certainly more drama than comedy). Incidentally, I didn't find the comedian's (the main character's) jokes funny at all throughout the entire film; I had to look past that a bit (Norwegian humor?). As the film progressed, I found it getting better and better, and it became more balanced. It gained some lightness. Some other themes are also brought to the table (in a natural way). The relationships gain depth, and the characters develop and learn. You start to understand the characters' motivations, and it also makes you think about your own life and the choices you make. The acting, by the way, is of high quality throughout. I do agree with the criticism that the ending might be a bit far-fetched, but it didn't bother me, and I thought it was truly beautiful cinema. You could say that something fairytale-like is added at the end. The whole thing never gets too sentimental for my taste.

It certainly doesn't reach the level of, for example, The Fault in Our Stars (2014), but it surprised me positively. I started with 'do I really want to finish watching this?', but ended up with 4 stars. Still, I'm taking half a star off because of the somewhat laborious start. 3.5 stars.

Translated from Dutch · View original