Tuba Atlantic

After seeing the film last night, I totally see why critic Peter Hartlaub of the SF Chronicle labeled it the "The standout..." as I too found it such an odd juxtaposition exploring dying and living combining the angst of death and human comedy. If you are to see one single movie up for an Acadamy Award Oscar, see Tuba Atlantic. Your first view of the Death Angel at death's door sets the pace of tears and laughter. I found the film similar to an earlier piece of work from that region titled "Kitchen Stories" - another of my favorites. This movie blew my socks off and because so few actually get an opportunity to view "shorts", I am purchasing a copy of the film to share with friends.

Hallvar Witzø's "Tuba Atlantic" initially received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film, but the nomination got rescinded when it came out that the movie originally aired on TV. Nevertheless, this story of reconciliation is worth seeing, as the elderly protagonist seeks to make amends with his estranged brother, through the help of an "angel of death". I haven't seen many Norwegian movies, but I've liked the ones that I've seen. "Tuba Atlantic" is one of the most interesting short films that I've seen. It's not a masterpiece, but worth seeing.

So the next time that you hear a noise coming from across the ocean, you know what it means.

This film is overlayed with a deep and gloomy atmosphere.

From the beginning to the end, one gets the feeling of watching a good feature film, and both the image and sound quality surprises in a matter of professionalism.

The camera action and movements are really refined, and the story likewise.

I really enjoyed this film, and when it finished I was stunned for a moment or two, reflecting about its plot. It's deep, sad and at the same time filled with a discrete happiness.

But it doesn't end here, I recently read that it has been nominated for an Oscar. This is what drew my attention to the film. The crew has done a magnificent job, and I would recommend it to everyone that enjoys a film with an euphoric underlying meaning.

Discovering he has only six days left to live, Oskar plans to reconcile with his brother – although the last he knew his brother was in New Jersey, a long way from Norway. Determined to have closure before he dies, Oskar spends his remaining days preparing to use a massive tuba structure to broadcast across the Atlantic. In the meantime, he is joined by an Angel of Death – a religious volunteer who will stay with him until he dies; and spends a lot of time killing seagulls.

It is hard to put a finger on what Tuba Atlantic is as a film, however seeing the 25 minute running time, and knowing it was a Norwegian film about death, I did not hold out too much hope of it being a fun experience. Truth is that the film manages to be grounded in this tale of a dying man and his estranged brother, but yet also brings in a lot of comedy and fantasy elements. I'm not wholly sure how much narrative importance the slaughtering of seagulls played in the overall film, but it was a very funny constant, and will resonate with anyone who has lived by the sea – or even tried to eat chips outdoors within 5 miles of coastal waters. The character of Inger plays well alongside Oskar, and the two performances do well to balance the absurd with the heartfelt – and in the end there is a gruff heart which provides a quite satisfying conclusion in the midst of the comedic and the fantasy of the tuba itself.