The snowy desert of northern Norway is a bit of a change from the traditional desert for the Iraqi immigrants in the movie Vinterland directed by Hisham Zaman. I really enjoyed this movie. It is a short feature film (52 minutes) and the only one that Zaman has done. I like to think of this film like a recipe that wasn't quite followed. That is not to say that this film is formulaic but to say that what we see in the film, cultural differences, relationship trouble, and hopes that are destroyed is what a lot of immigrant experiences are like. They come expecting one thing and find out that the dream they had in their head is not, in fact, reality.
The first thing that struck me in this movie was the sparseness of the landscape surrounding Renas' (Raouf Saraj) home. We see the dramatic landscape of mountains that surround his house but other than that there really isn't much to look at besides snow. He lives a simple life, going to work in a factory, then talking to friends for a while before returning home to think about his soon to be wife, who is still in Iraq. We see this process repeat a few times during the movie. While Renas is at work we see some of the cultural differences between Norway and his native Iraq. One of the most poignant ones is while he is eating lunch at work he and his coworkers start talking about ham. They (Norwegians) ask him why he does not eat ham, and he replies by saying it makes you impotent. At that moment another coworker comes to lunch and is eating a ham sandwich which causes the others to laugh at him. This is the first part of the recipe that is misread. People come to various countries expecting one thing and finding another. Many times cultures do not mix well together and it leads to tension and sometimes violence. This is not one of those cases. Renas seems to get along with the Norwegians that he meets, and knows, in the movie. In fact he seems to have more of an issue with his wife than he does Norwegians.
Relationships seem to be an ever present force in Nordic film. Almost every film I have seen deals with relationships in some way or another. This one again deals with the cultural issues that immigrants have to deal with and a relationship that does not seem to work from the start. Renas' wife at the beginning of the movie is still in Iraq. Once he gets her a visa she is able to come to Norway to finally be (actually) married to him. The two have preconceived ideas about the other and both hope for something that they eventually find out is not reality. Renas is expecting a beautiful skinny woman whom his parents found for him. He has photos that he looks at to reinforce this idea. When Fermesk (Shler Rahnoma) arrives he his startled by the fact that his dreams do not match reality. Fermesk comes to Norway expecting a rich husband who will love her very much. What she finds is a factory worker who is anything but enchanted by her. This can be looked at in a wider context of immigrant experiences as well. Many people move to other countries expecting the streets to be "paved with gold." That is never the case. Often they move to various countries hoping for a life that will be perfect but, what they find is often a life that is in fact very hard. They realize that wishful thinking does not translate to reality. I have heard this from friends whose families have immigrated and from other immigrants who work in the local grocery store. I think that this has been the trend in immigration for years. People hear stories and come expecting one thing and getting the opposite.
I do like the way that Renas and Fermesk work through their troubles to eventually meet at a middle ground. They both kind of realize "sh*t we are all each other have, we have to make this work." Renas destroys the phone near his house out of frustration. He gets sick of having to always please his family (and Fermesk's as well) back in Iraq. The newlyweds decide that their life is now Norway and no longer Iraq. They can hold on to some of their traditions but they also have to embrace the new lives that they have in Norway.
I think that this movie has a very realistic portrayal of recent immigrant experiences in Norway (and other countries). People come expecting one thing and getting another. They have a hard life when they first immigrate, and not everything is coming up daisies. They have to find their way and make due with what they have. They have to hold onto their native culture while still embracing and trying to incorporate the new culture that they are a part of. Renas and Fermesk have their issues but they work together to make a new life in Norway that is their own and they are by the end of the movie at least moving towards a happier place.
The first thing that struck me in this movie was the sparseness of the landscape surrounding Renas' (Raouf Saraj) home. We see the dramatic landscape of mountains that surround his house but other than that there really isn't much to look at besides snow. He lives a simple life, going to work in a factory, then talking to friends for a while before returning home to think about his soon to be wife, who is still in Iraq. We see this process repeat a few times during the movie. While Renas is at work we see some of the cultural differences between Norway and his native Iraq. One of the most poignant ones is while he is eating lunch at work he and his coworkers start talking about ham. They (Norwegians) ask him why he does not eat ham, and he replies by saying it makes you impotent. At that moment another coworker comes to lunch and is eating a ham sandwich which causes the others to laugh at him. This is the first part of the recipe that is misread. People come to various countries expecting one thing and finding another. Many times cultures do not mix well together and it leads to tension and sometimes violence. This is not one of those cases. Renas seems to get along with the Norwegians that he meets, and knows, in the movie. In fact he seems to have more of an issue with his wife than he does Norwegians.
Relationships seem to be an ever present force in Nordic film. Almost every film I have seen deals with relationships in some way or another. This one again deals with the cultural issues that immigrants have to deal with and a relationship that does not seem to work from the start. Renas' wife at the beginning of the movie is still in Iraq. Once he gets her a visa she is able to come to Norway to finally be (actually) married to him. The two have preconceived ideas about the other and both hope for something that they eventually find out is not reality. Renas is expecting a beautiful skinny woman whom his parents found for him. He has photos that he looks at to reinforce this idea. When Fermesk (Shler Rahnoma) arrives he his startled by the fact that his dreams do not match reality. Fermesk comes to Norway expecting a rich husband who will love her very much. What she finds is a factory worker who is anything but enchanted by her. This can be looked at in a wider context of immigrant experiences as well. Many people move to other countries expecting the streets to be "paved with gold." That is never the case. Often they move to various countries hoping for a life that will be perfect but, what they find is often a life that is in fact very hard. They realize that wishful thinking does not translate to reality. I have heard this from friends whose families have immigrated and from other immigrants who work in the local grocery store. I think that this has been the trend in immigration for years. People hear stories and come expecting one thing and getting the opposite.
I do like the way that Renas and Fermesk work through their troubles to eventually meet at a middle ground. They both kind of realize "sh*t we are all each other have, we have to make this work." Renas destroys the phone near his house out of frustration. He gets sick of having to always please his family (and Fermesk's as well) back in Iraq. The newlyweds decide that their life is now Norway and no longer Iraq. They can hold on to some of their traditions but they also have to embrace the new lives that they have in Norway.
I think that this movie has a very realistic portrayal of recent immigrant experiences in Norway (and other countries). People come expecting one thing and getting another. They have a hard life when they first immigrate, and not everything is coming up daisies. They have to find their way and make due with what they have. They have to hold onto their native culture while still embracing and trying to incorporate the new culture that they are a part of. Renas and Fermesk have their issues but they work together to make a new life in Norway that is their own and they are by the end of the movie at least moving towards a happier place.