one of my absolute favorites!

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Crappy film

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

I appreciate that this Norwegian movie gets recognition abroad from Norway too. Its just a shame that its not better known as it easily could be a hit in most countries. Another shame is that the subtleties regarding the intricate differences between the main characters will not be fetched by someone who do not understand Norwegian. Elling has a very correct and refined language/accent, while Kjell Bjarne is very blunt and speaks working class Language. Even though I believe this movie could be appreciated all over the world because of the beautiful story and top notch acting.I have seen this movie many times, and still every time I see it I am amazed that it brings out all the different emotion in me. From laughing out loud to crying. Yes you have to be very cold hearted not to be moved by this film.The few criticism I have seen about the movie is about realism (welfare) and the drinking and smoking by a pregnant woman which seems accepted. Well I can confirm that its not unrealistic regarding the Norwegian welfare system. It is as good as in the movie. Regarding the drinking and smoking when pregnant. It is not accepted to do that in Norway, but this is not a story about the average Norwegian and the woman is not from what we can call the privileged part of the society. In fact Norway may be one of the most restricted countries when it comes to both smoking and drinking. And another important factor is that the author has very liberate views.If you have not seen this gem I strongly recommend you to see this one.

Elling (2001), directed by Peter Naess, tells the quirky and occasionally uncomfortable story of two men who are forced to learn how to live a normal life after they move out of a government-run group home. Like a buddy comedy gone astray, socially anxious Elling (Per Christian Ellefsen) and simple-minded Kjell Bjarne (Sven Nordin) are placed in a welfare apartment until they can prove themselves capable of the real world. Elling spent his first forty years living a sheltered life with only his mother, who protected him from others. When she dies, he is placed in the group home due to his crippling anxiety. Elling narrates the terrors of unprotected city life and the editing clearly emphasizes his disorientation and discomfort. As men try to adapt, Elling begins to control Kjell and tries to limit Kjell's attachment to others for fear of losing him. Finally though, Elling develops relationships of his own and begins to cope with the outside world. The actors all give down-to-earth, believable performances that sell the film's most touching moments without going over the top.When the story begins, Elling's narration shows us just how isolated and sheltered he is. The quick cuts between black screen and brief scenes of the government institution reflect Elling's confusion and anger with his changed circumstances. Additionally, Ellefsen (Elling's actor) is entirely stiff and awkward and shies away from contact. A particularly painful montage concerning practice answering a phone shows just how debilitating his anxiety is when it comes to performing simple tasks. The cinematography also excellently reflects Elling's loneliness and discomfort, such as a series of long and far shots in which Elling is the only person in focus. As Elling grows overwhelmed by people, he becomes dizzy, the visual blurs, and Elling goes down for the count. All of this sets the scene well for major changes down the road.One thing Elling really succeeds at is making the viewer feel for all of the characters in turn. At times, it's almost possible to sympathize with Frank, the gruff social worker in charge of Kjell Bjarne and Elling. Frank has his job cut out for him in coaching the men on how the world works. In the aforementioned telephone scene, it's possible to feel Frank's frustration. Yes, he's harsh and impatient, but he does have a lot of seemingly incompetent people to watch out for. He's controlling but with the intent that Elling and Kjell Bjarne figure out real life and move on.A major shift in Elling's outlook is that of controlling to caring. Elling initially tries to make Kjell Bjarne fill his dead mother's role. Their attachment from the beginning is one of necessity and need on the part of Elling. Kjell is stupid and easy to manipulate, so he is forced to do the grocery shopping and everything else that requires going outside. It was at this point I began sympathizing with others besides Elling. He becomes too paranoid to even attempt to adapt and tries to hold Kjell back from meeting new people. It's hard for people with no impediment to normal social function to imagine how challenging daily life can be for someone with severe anxiety, but Ellefsen (in my opinion) brings a lot of truth and accuracy to the role.Luckily, the power of true friendship is finally able to lift Elling from his self-enforced solitude. One of the reasons Elling and Kjell bond in the first place is that their individual strengths make up for the weaknesses of the other. Elling over-thinks everything, but this makes up for Kjell's lack of higher reasoning skills. In contrast, Kjell hunts for connections with people and is fairly easy to get along with. Elling maintains his distance, but eventually begins to adopt Kjell's ease of making friends. Their interactions are frequently at odds, but it is only by challenging each other that they eventually reach some degree of success in the real world.Elling is hilarious at times, painfully awkward at others, but overall is quite charming. The acting and the focus on character make the film what it is: a buddy comedy with a lot of heart. This quirky story about love and friendship is enjoyable at the surface level, but is also satisfying when analyzed further. I highly recommend Elling for casual moviegoers and cinema fanatics alike.

What happens when you leave home for the first time? The real world is not a happy place and the first push to independence, no matter at what age, is never easy. Two men, Elling and Kjell are released from a mental hospital, given an apartment paid for by the government, and try to live a normal life. Of course, if you have been in a mental hospital, your sense of normal is a little bit warped. Naturally the film is filled with funny moments that build and build making you laugh and laugh. I truly felt like I was a cheerleader rooting for them to get simple tasks done and I got frustrated at points watching them fumble with easy tasks.The help of a friend and simple hard work provide foundation to be successful. Elling has a support system allowing him to attempt to live a "normal life". Elling has his friend, Kjell, who is in the same boat as Elling. Because Elling and Kjell are in the same boat, creates friendly competition to push forward and valuable learning experiences for the pair. Both men need each other to face the world for the first time.As a college student, I really related to the theme of independence. Even though Elling is much older than a college student, he faces struggles with getting the basic necessities such as food while trying to prove he is normal. In most human household's, parents will give their children more and more responsibility. After watching the film, I will never think of shopping or cooking the same way. In a bird's nest, the momma bird pushes her children out to force them to fly and take independence. Elling and Kjell experienced the bird's route. This makes independence more difficult to achieve because they had no experience. Therefore when they accomplish simple tasks like shopping or cooking, you can't help but feel happy for them.After someone is released from a mental hospital, he or she needs to identity what is normal, attempt to imitate, and fashion his or her lives after what is normal. Therefore this film is absolutely hilarious. What you think might be common knowledge or easy to figure out can be a struggle for someone else. Their struggles are like someone who time traveled to the twenty-first century from the nineteenth century because people still look the same, but the new technology, the hustle and bustle of life, and a brand new environment creates stress and trouble.Elling makes the Norwegian welfare system seem like a free checking account. In Norway, the citizens have to pay a huge amount of taxes to support expensive programs because the state pays for them. Therefore Kjell and Elling have it pretty easy, because the other taxpayers support them. Elling shows the flaws with a social state. The people who are making a lot of money pay to support those who are not making much money. Then the people who are not making much money have no incentive to work harder because the rich support them. Elling and Kjell think they are pretty tricky with their style of survival and have no motivation to change their living habits.Kjell has a serious sexual desire that is hard to satisfy. The fact that Kjell and Elling were in the hospital for social problems makes Kjell's attempts for sex seem pathetic. In my opinion, Kjell was released from the mental hospital and now he has the world open to him and sex is just one aspect of independence. Therefore he thinks sex will help deal with stress daily necessities. Also his sexual appetite could be driven by his desire to feel like a man because he may have felt that the mental hospital took away his masculinity.In conclusion, I felt that this movie gave me a great sense that I am successful at life. But then I realized I was feeling successful because this movie was about men who were released from a mental hospital. I laughed at myself because I have never been put into a mental hospital, nor am I completely independent of my parents therefore I can't really compare myself to Elling, and someone's daily struggles should not be laughed at, but I could not help laughing uncontrollably all throughout the Elling. Overall this was funny movie with scenes that will make you laugh so hard you have to hit the pause and rewind button five times!!!! I truly felt like I was a cheerleader rooting for them to get simple tasks done.

Never having seen a Norwegian film I am happy that Elling could be the first movie I saw. From beginning to end this was a heart-warming film that forced you to look not only at the characters lives but also at your own life.In the beginning of the film we learn that Elling is a mamma's boy who for his whole life has lived with her and would do anything for her. We also find out that she has recently died and when this happened his life fell apart and he was taken by the Norwegian government to a mental institution. At the mental institution is where the beautiful story about friendship begins. He is placed in a room with a man named Kjell, they are complete opposites; Kjell is obsessed with women, sex and food while Elling is more serious and to himself. But, like the old saying goes opposites attract and for Kjell and Elling this is exactly what happened. They are soon released from the hospital and transferred to an apartment where they are looked after by a social worker named Frank. Frank has given them one rule, to take care of themselves or be sent back to the institution. The time in the apartment is where their true friendship grows. Being forced to live on their own they realize that true friendship is being able to rely on each other and care for one another. The first act of caring for one another comes when they move their beds into one room, they decide they can't live by themselves so they rearrange the apartment. As they both settle in Kjell is faster in learning to live on his own while Elling is more reserved and can't seem to want to leave the apartment; this is seen in the tragic scene of the grocery store where Elling gets so nervous he can't go in and he has a break down outside of the store. However, as the movie goes on they each find their passion for living. Elling realizes that he loves poetry and decides to start going to poetry readings where he meets a new friend Alfonso, and it is then he realizes he has a greater purpose in life than being stuck in the apartment. Kjell falls in love with a women, Reduin, in the building and learns to work through a relationship as well as get back to his roots as a mechanic. Through the ups and downs of learning to go their own ways the viewer sees the themes of friendship, family and determination come forth in the different scenes. The idea of family comes forth during the first Christmas when Kjell builds the house and puts candy pieces as him and Elling, it also comes in the last scene as Kjell starts his family with Reduin and the new baby. The theme of friendship is at the heart of this movie, the fact that friends appear in every circumstance which teaches them that friendships are essential to ones life. Finally, determination is seen throughout the movie through building relationships, careers and most importantly taking on life's challenges and learning from them. What I love about this movie is that it teaches us that it is not to late to start living our lives the way we want to, that no matter where we are we need to hold on to our dreams and never give up on life or on our friendships. This movie was not only entertaining but inspiring. Not only did it allow the story to play out for itself and not force its themes upon the viewer, it didn't try to force the touching moments between friends nor did it try to exaggerate the reality of living with a mental disorder, it just let the story come to life on its own and play out the way that was going to be most beneficial to everyone involved. This movie showed how you can become a new person while staying true to who you are and where you came from. The characters learned that everything happens for a reason and that life passes on to new things; what they once might have thought of as bad turned out to be good and gave them a new purpose in life. Overall, the movie was a breath of fresh air from most Hollywood films produced today. It was a heartwarming story about two friends who without each other may not have been able to have a second chance at a normal life, but through friendship, courage and trust they were able to move on together and form a new life, one that made them cherish the moments that they had together as well as finding the drive to succeed in the things that they loved to do.