Solo le nuvole

The Scandinavian countries still hold first place when it comes to youth and children's films. This 1998 Norwegian film by Torun Lian, however, even sets the standard a little higher. The quietly and subtly directed story of Oslo-born Maria, who has lost her little brother to cancer and sees her family disintegrating before her very eyes, will one day be regarded as one of the best coming-of-age films ever made.

It is sad, yes, even hard to watch at times how Maria is lost in her young life. But when she meets a boy her own age - mostly left to himself by his working mother - and they share days and evenings talking and generally goofing around in the provincial town of Bergen, she gradually opens up. When the first smile in a long time appears on Maria's face, it is impossible to ignore the lump in your throat - you know you've slowly but surely been drawn into this serious but wonderful little film. If you have the chance to catch this gem with subtitles and in its original 'Scope-format, don't pass up on it.

Easily one of the most moving films i've ever seen. It screened here once on SBS television & i've waited for a repeat ever since, but to no avail. I am now annoyed I never taped it, because my search for a DVD release with English subtitles has proved fruitless. Even the Hong Kong version lacked subs. http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.533069/qx/details.htm Its obviously been criminally overlooked, for there's scant English commentary online for it. I think i'll have to request SBS play it again & get a DVD recorder to spring into action if it does appear again.

Probably the most convincing portrayal of people coping with the loss of a family member. Mostly from the point of view of the young girl who won't acknowledge her brothers death & makes stories up to hide her fear of the truth. The scene with her mother's inability to accept her son's death is outstanding.

So far it's been one of my private gems that i've been unable to share with others because of it's unavailability. There won't be many comments here because of its unfair obscurity, so i felt compelled to let the director know that she created one highly impressive directorial debut from her own script & it's a shame there haven't been more films with her name attached.

As a Pole, I do not know many Norwegian films since they are very rare in my country. Nevertheless, the Polish TV broadcast this movie recently on Easter time as a sort of challenge. Although nothing special drew my attention in the title, I felt curious to see this film because of my interest in Norway, its culture and foremost its people and their lifestyles. Therefore, Torun Lian's movie highly surprised me as a real masterwork.

The most significant aspect of the film is, I think, the sophisticated but profound content. An eleven year-old girl, Maria (Thea Sophie Rusten), copes with the recovery from the loss of her brother. Moreover, she does not feel loved because her family is divided. Her mother has huge difficulties with getting over her despair. Therefore, Maria is sent to her grandmother's where she stays for a longer time and where she primarily wants to be left alone. One day, however, she meets a boy at her age, Jacob (Jan Tore Kristoffersen), who also copes with the loss but in a totally different way. These two youngsters find their time enjoyable and Maria slowly feels more secure socially. In the end, Maria meets her mum and though still in a shock, a smile appears on Maria's face... Does it mean she finds love?...

There is, of course, no action in the film. Instead, the director draws our attention to psychological aspects of the human being. Though children, Maria and Jacob are very mature, draw very profound conclusions, see the world differently than other eleven year-old because they are more experienced. The indefatigable search for love is expressed throughout in Maria's behavior. Moreover, a starting erotic sympathy raises in the two youngsters. There are excellent moments when this is showed with some sensual references. Jacob starts to look at Maria in a different way but it is, of course, very pure and delicate. Less knowledgeable audiences may find nothing erotic in the film. And that is gentleness of the script! I loved the moment when they sit together on a staircase and look at each other without saying many words. It is important just to be... Their farewell is also very moving. The viewer gets an impression that these are no children but young adults.

The performances are wonderful. Although most of the time on screen is given to Maria and Jacob, the young actors are real artists. Thea Sofie Rusten can wonderfully express different psychological states, from anger, rebel, sorrow to a raising happiness and more stable security. She is breathtaking in the role! Jan Tore Kristoffersen is also very appealing as Jacob. He feels comfortable in the role and does his job very naturally. The film has one of the very best youth performances I have ever seen.

Finally, the brilliant sentimental moments that the film is filled with have left an unfading trace in my memory. The leaves being moved by the blowing wind, the rain drops falling onto the windows, the streets of Bergen in the storm. These are rare things seen in movies but they are a real feast for all fans of psychological films. Human is, as a matter of fact, a part of nature and his/her states are also inevitably attached to the natural world.

"Bare Skyer Beveger Stjernene" is a wonderful film that I would never hesitate to see once again and I would recommend to everyone bored with brutality, murders, and the lack of profound level of thinking in many modern films. See this one if you find chance. Pity Torun Lian's film is not famous! This is a real treasure of the Norwegian cinema! The film that shows one thing: to live means primarily to love and find love.

"Bare skyer beveger stjernene" is a beautiful little piece about a girl dealing with her brother's death while the family temporarily disintegrates. At the same time she meets a boy and finds some sort of first bonding/love.

Sounds simple, but it really works, due to solid natural sounding dialogue, somber editing, wonderful photography, excellent chemistry and directing - and not much over-acting, even from the children's main characters. (Unnatural over-acting is a huge problem in Norwegian movies - they are often populated with Theodore actors who act too much, and with sometimes surprisingly weak dialogue that no normal people would say in reality. If you think I exaggerate, just watch "Buddy".) I would say this is one of the best Norwegian movies from the 90's, and quite underestimated. It's a shame it's not out on DVD (yet), but let's hope someone manages to get it out in widescreen, DTS-sound and with foreign subtitles. It deserves to be seen by many more! (This review is based on my memory of seeing the movie in 1998 - I hope it's still valid if I see it again now.)

I found this movie while flicking through the channels and found it to be an exceptionally made coming-of-age tale about a young girl. The performances were brilliant, as was the writing and the direction was first-class. I only saw the final half-hour of this film, but if that is anything to go by, then this is an incredible film. I shall look for a copy of this film on video so that I may see the rest of this sensational piece of film making. When I do, I shall post a more complete comment.