User reviews

Based on the bestselling book by Iben Akerlie (That I have also read myself), I think this is a nice improvement of this adaptation. It was very similar to the book, and now when I think of it, the plot got some problems, the movie did also have some problems, but this was mostly a good movie, about to be yourself and what is right, and what is easy. When this movie was played by 90 percent children, you can expect everything. Now I will tell you my overall thoughts of the acting, and the movie, too. Amanda is the main character. She is a gentle, nice girl that try to be nice to everyone, but is struggling with what is the right thing to do and how she should be. She was best played in the movie, with emotions and engagement. Her friend, Sari, was good, even if she was more of less important character. The Down syndrome kid, Lars, was played in a similarly good way as Amanda, but the rest of the actors were decent, and I would say the grown-ups did play weaker than the children, what was surprising. About the movie. Good plot, it started out a little slow, started like nothing didn't really mattered, but when the problems started everything got more interesting. Some ways of acting of the actors did annoy me, though, like when they were for example throwing snowballs, that looked fake. Or when they were doing something, and got the answer right on the place, something that just wasn't realistic. When the children had problems, the grown-ups didn't help much, what was also not realistic, especially in a Norwegian school, when grown-ups often fast investigate, something that just felt weird. But the movie was still funny, did have a good message, and leaved with something we can think of. Is this a movie worth watching? Yes, if you are watching without reading the book or not, it is still a fun experience. It did have some incomplete materials, something they could work on, so for me, it was perfectly ok.

I watched the movie with my two children at the cinema; a girl aged 8 and a boy aged 10.

The film is about friendship, love, exclusion, and bullying. The story is largely told by children, and the main character Amanda (played by Lilly Winger Schmidt) is performed very well and convincingly. This also applies to Lars (the focal point of the story, played by Adrian Øverjordet Vestnes), and the other supporting roles. The fact that Lars has Down syndrome is an important element in the core of the story, but it doesn't feel exploited or overused. No obvious clichés were noted either.

The film also focuses on bullying through mobile phones, the use of mobile cameras, and, not least, the (often invisible) cyberbullying in combination. This is done in a subtle way that very effectively conveys the underlying point, without being too obvious.

The story's main antagonist, Anna (played by Agnes Grønneberg Hagen), evokes strong (negative) emotions and plays the role of the antagonist well!

My children thought the film was both extremely sad and very good, and it became a much bigger topic of conversation afterward than the typical children's films we often see. All three of us went through the entire emotional spectrum, shedding several tears along the way. It was an experience!

The film is highly recommended for all school-aged children (but perhaps best from about 8 years and up), and for adults.