Reviews

Went into this one not really knowing what to expect. I'm no student of Brazilian history, and am sure this meant many allusions and much else that was interesting about the film passed me by. There were stretches where I felt my eyelids drooping (this was after a couple of beers, admittedly). However, some of the imagery is breathtaking, and the final ten minutes are just astonishing. I would watch it again for the end alone. Music too is great, particularly the final snatch of song/narration. Audience (half Brazilian, half staid English types like myself) was fairly bopping in the aisles...

I loved the book (maybe it gains in translation....) and thought this a fair stab at transferring it to the screen. I imagine Hamsun is a tricky author to adapt. Gustavson does manage to capture some of the whimsy of the source material; however, Hamsun is not all sweetness and light, and I think the director finds it harder to tap into the darker side of some of the characters, Rolandsen especially. Good performances all round, though, and beautiful scenery (unless you're Scandinavian and bored with that sort of thing).