Reprise (2006)

If you like your films to follow a linear chronology, then this might not be the one for you. It’s the often all over the place tale of two best friends. “Erik” (Espen Klouman Høiner) as more your stereotypical Norwegian blonde, floppy haired and good looking lad. “Phillip” (Anders Danielson Lie), on the other hand, conforms less to the typical image of the handsome Norseman, but both are inseparable and both are aspiring writers. The story of their relationship and of their relationships now darts about; the latter lad suffers from a form of mental breakdown that leaves him and girlfriend “Kari” (Viktoria Winge) with some rebuilding to do, though it’s not always clear for what purpose or to whose benefit. The former is the first to be published, altogether more stable and yet isn’t that much more fulfilled than his friend. Against a backdrop of a vibrant Oslo with plenty of friends (and, judging by the amount of printer ink that they get through, money too!) this observation doesn’t so much unfold as unravel, and sometimes it isn’t too clear whether we are looking at contemporaneous events, those that are yet to come or those in the past - a sort of “Christmas Carol” playing timeline Russian Roulette. Though “Phillip” is clearly ill, that’s not really allowed to overwhelm his character, more it underpins it and enables us to observe, and perhaps even empathise, with a man whose senses of self worth and purpose are at times ambiguous and whose habit of counting backwards from ten serves to introduce a degree of peril as if something bad is going to happen when he gets to zero. Both leading actors here deliver quite a poignant portrayal of their robust yet oft challenged connection, and though I really didn’t always quite fathom it - especially at the end, it offers quite an unique take on how these two men might grow into the next stages of their lives. Mercifully, it is also largely devoid of cheesy romance and clunky political correctness. Monochrome throughout, it looks good too but you will need to concentrate. It’s not a film to dip in and out of, else it will make even less sense.