War Sailor

Structured like a sweeping epic, Krigsseileren tells about the efforts of Norwegian commercial sailors in the Atlantic theatre during WWII. Two of Norwegian cinema's best actors over the past 10 to 20 years, Kristoffer Joner and Pål Sverre Hagen, play Alfred and Sigbjørn, two friends and conflicting personalities who deal with the pressures of the war operations and their ensuing effects on their personal lives after the war in each their own way. Left behind in Norway are Alfred's wife and children - and a whole nation with a lacking understanding of the war sailors' efforts and experiences. Writer/director Gunnar Vikene (Himmelfall) clearly has made it his personal agenda to tell the story of this oft-forgotten group of people, and although such passionate drive sometimes leads to indulgence, the film's strong sense of humanity and compassion elevates it and carries it through even in parts where the narrative staggers. A combination of authenticity, technical brilliance, and a clear artistic framework makes this into an all-encompassing viewing experience. That's Joner's own daughter Téa Grønner Joner playing his character's oldest child after the war.

One of the best war movies I've seen. I thought I'd seen so many war and catastrophe movies I'd become numb to the emotional drama and could only be stimulated by history lessons and battlefield action but this one gripped me. The storytelling and cinematography was oddly neutral and engaging at the same time, avoiding over the top melodrama and anticlimatically predictable climaxes, sticking to the point over a nonlinear plotline for three hours. The lack of cliche and subtelty made the movie seem lifelike and relevant unlike so many other historical dramas. For instance the way you learned of the sinking of the first crew or the reaction to being dropped in shallow water from the oily survivor. The life and the sadness in every scene made this movie worth watching.

The story is amazing, the cinematography is great, and the deapth of each look really leaves a mark.

The lead actors are really good, and probably norway's best ones. But the thing about norwegian movies is that the dialog seams sooo forced. I don't know if it is just me that is too stricht, but both Kristoffer Joner and Pål Sverre Hagen are such good actors when it comes to body language, facial expression and overrall feeling, that I expect the dialogs to be better. The way the manuscript is written probably shoud take a lot of the blame, and is, in my opinion, what stops a lot of norwegian produced films from being great. On the other hand, all the acting in other forms then spreach leaves me speachless! The looks, the feelings, the body language, the details, the entire mood of the movie is worth admiring.

The love and care that is shown between these caracters breaks my heart, it is delivered in such a delicate, vulnerable way.

Overall I enjoyed the movie, it enlightens a part of history that I really have not given much thought.

I like Norwegian productions because they are in their way innovative and do not tend to copy what others do. Usually they have a pretty high standard, like this one.

The special effects, the story, the acting, the historical reconstructions, all are very good. The movie is emotional, it speaks about the second world war, but is never political. Just a story of heroes and war, stuff that happen before, during, and after the war.

It doesn't try to be polite, or push propaganda, it tells what could really happen when you are a sailor, part of the biggest fleet of ships, away from you family, trying to survive and hence come home. It speaks about values, future, and what really matters. In one word: intense.

A superb war movie!

What a pleasant surprise this film turned out to be. The cinematography, editing, effects and music are all top notch and help tell a story about some great characters. I feared it would be a Michael Bay-ish, bombastic, humorless action fest. It's not.

This is a somber film about the horrors of war, both for the men and their families back home. Joner and Hagen both give superb performances, but the strong supporting actors are the real surprise.

I spoke to a war historian after the screening, who also loved the film, and his biggest complaint was the lack of hair cuts and one piece of clothing in one scene. I'd say that is pretty good.

This is a human story, so the language barrier shouldn't be a problem. I urge you to check it out if you're interested in war history or human dramas in general. Also, the fact that they made this on what is a shoestring budget in Hollywood, is impressive!

No wonder this is Norway's candidate for best Foreign Language Film at next year's Academy Awards. It's a tough one to beat. Two thumbs way up!