The Norwegian film HIM, a clever and convincing contemplation of the modern male condition directed by Guro Bruusgaard, will screen as a part of the Moscow International Film Festival’s Main Competition. The festival will be taking place between April 22nd and 29th, 2021, with limited cinema seating in accordance with health safety regulations.
A work driven by the collaborative efforts of Guro Bruusgaard and production collective Alternativet Produksjon, HIM follows a day in the life of three men of different ages in Oslo as they deal with the emotional and social fallout of situations which trigger their own humiliation, anger, and disappointment. Harald (Frank Werner Laug), a young schoolboy, faces the frustration of being misunderstood by his classmates and reprimanded by his teacher; unemployed Eirik (Emil Johnsen) is left alone and distressed when he is denied more help from the unemployment agency; while screenwriter Petter’s (Johannes Joner) passion project loses funding in favor of a female screenwriter’s project.
As a female-led project, HIM strikes a perceptive balance of contemplation and empathy in its deep-dive into the male ego and its vulnerabilities, while keeping women as integral figures to the story and its nuanced moral subtext. Grounded by powerful performances, the film probes the deep-rooted emotional complexity of men whose inner turmoil has driven them to self-destructive ends - a tragic reality which has grown increasingly relevant in the modern age.
HIM enters the international stage following a year chock-full of powerhouse Norwegian films, six of which nabbed spots on the Oscar shortlists, including the feature length Hope, Gunda, and The Painter and the Thief and the nominated documentary short Do Not Split. The film’s production is proof of the vitality of Norway’s burgeoning film scene and culture, which has been evolving to allow filmmakers to take risks and focus on the stories they deem truly important to tell.
Alternativet Produksjon, the innovative production company behind the film, is in fact a collective of filmmakers who collaborate on projects regardless of film institute funding, instead creating an internal economy in which their talents are exchanged on projects in different roles and capacities. Aside from HIM, Alternativet Produksjon has released the shorts The Forest by Magnus Mork, What Is a Woman? by Marin Håskjold and the feature We Are Here Now by Mariken Halle, and are currently in production with Mariken Halle’s Corona-feature The Outdoor School and Katja Eyde Jacobsen’s The Second Sex.
The film is also supported by the Norwegian Film Institute, Eurimages, and The Arts Council Norway. It is set for a theatrical release in Norway on June 4th, 2021.
