12-03-2018, 02:51 PM
PUG entry for Best New IDU Film
Title:
The Letter
Synopsis:
Iver is an experienced structural engineer and senior adviser at the Department of Rail Transport in the Ministry of Infrastructure. While being a successful a well-respected civil servant, he struggles with feelings of anxiety and is burdened by a growing sense of meaninglessness.
When the Interior* is ravaged by wildfires in the summer and early fall of 2018, it wreaks havoc on parts of the Cross-Country Railways and severely hampers communications between eastern and western Gnejs. While working intensely with the technical and logistical aspects of managing and resolving the situation, Iver and his co-workers also has to endure forceful public scrutiny and criticism concerning apparent weaknesses in planning and emergency preparedness. Iver, as a senior Ministry servant and expert, is tasked with addressing both the press and the public on several occasions, and consequently, he starts receiving letters, emails and phone calls; everything ranging from angry rants from western farmers to concerned family members inquiring about their loved ones living within some of the many homesteads scattering the Interior.
Amongst the many letters, his attention is drawn towards one dated 23rd of August 1991. Upon reading, he realizes that the letter is identical to one that he himself wrote; a love letter aimed at a young man whom he met and fell in love with while visiting his uncle on a summer vacation on the north-eastern coast all those years before. With the pressure mounting, and the offices of the Department almost oscillating with activity, Iver decides to break away. He calls in sick and travels north with the Coastal Corridor from Port Kejm to the fishing and fish farming town of Urrsvika in the east of the region of Berg.
In the midst of the seasonal rain, Iver starts walking the streets of the quaint town and as the movie flashes back to the summer of '91, we get a view of Iver and his new friends Vidar and Elsa, and their lively and untroubled relationship. Two days before the end of that summer, when Iver is about to return home, we see him writing the letter where he proclaims his love for Vidar. When he arrives at Vidar's house, he finds the boy's mother crying on the doorstep, and it turns out that Vidar has suffered a fall that resulted in his death after diving from a cliff. Iver, stricken with grief, tears his letter to shreds and runs.
In the present, Iver's wanderings have brought him to Vidar's old house. As he sits by the side of the road, a young girl approaches him. She inquires if he got her letter, and proceeds to tell Iver the story of how she came into possession of it. Unbeknownst to Iver, Vidar and Elsa were lovers, and Elsa became pregnant that summer. Years later, Vidar's daughter found Iver's letter, meticulously pieced together, in an old drawer. While deeply intrigued by the boy who loved the father she'd never met, she never dared ask her mother about Iver. The death of Vidar still plagued her mother, and she rarely spoke of him. During the height of the summer's wildfires, Elsa and her daughter are watching the news, and as Iver's name and face appears on the screen, Elsa shrieks and quickly leaves the room. Piecing two and two together, the daughter surmises Iver's identity and sends him a transcribed copy of the old letter in the hopes that he will come north. At the daughter's request, Iver tells her of Vidar and all his fond memories of that summer years ago. Before departing, they share a hug.
At the closing of the film, Iver returns to Port Kejm and volunteers to be lead engineer on one of the big reconstruction projects deep in the Interior.
*A vast forested area in the middle of Gnejs. Home to a large population of homesteaders, but other encroachments are heavily regulated by a number of different laws. (for example The Interior and the Right to Homesteading Act of 1891).
Domestic reception and trivia
Domestic reception was divided, with some praising the low-key storytelling, while others complained the movie lacked momentum and bordered on being outright boring. All agreed that the cinematography was exquisite, especially the scenes shot on location in Urrsvika and the coastal surroundings. Lead actor Martin Strand received praise for his portrayal of Iver, in particular his way of "acting-without-speaking", pointing back towards the fact the Iver doesn’t actually speak much throughout the film.
The movie makes quite a few references to the (at the time of production ongoing) Second Lauchenoirian Civil war, mainly by including excerpts from radio news broadcasts in the background of several scenes. In the domestic reception of the film, a number of critics interpreted the character of Iver's indifference towards these current events – despite them being continually present – and his preoccupation with his own troubles as a critique of the Unionist government and their treatment of the conflict.
Director:
Ellinor Sørfold
Main characters:
Martin Strand – Iver (adult)
Johan Menner – Iver (young)
Baard Gardar – Vidar
Ingrid Aegis – Elsa
Johanne Gram – The daughter
Languages spoken:
Swedish, Norwegian, English
Release:
29th of November, 2018
Title:
The Letter
Synopsis:
Iver is an experienced structural engineer and senior adviser at the Department of Rail Transport in the Ministry of Infrastructure. While being a successful a well-respected civil servant, he struggles with feelings of anxiety and is burdened by a growing sense of meaninglessness.
When the Interior* is ravaged by wildfires in the summer and early fall of 2018, it wreaks havoc on parts of the Cross-Country Railways and severely hampers communications between eastern and western Gnejs. While working intensely with the technical and logistical aspects of managing and resolving the situation, Iver and his co-workers also has to endure forceful public scrutiny and criticism concerning apparent weaknesses in planning and emergency preparedness. Iver, as a senior Ministry servant and expert, is tasked with addressing both the press and the public on several occasions, and consequently, he starts receiving letters, emails and phone calls; everything ranging from angry rants from western farmers to concerned family members inquiring about their loved ones living within some of the many homesteads scattering the Interior.
Amongst the many letters, his attention is drawn towards one dated 23rd of August 1991. Upon reading, he realizes that the letter is identical to one that he himself wrote; a love letter aimed at a young man whom he met and fell in love with while visiting his uncle on a summer vacation on the north-eastern coast all those years before. With the pressure mounting, and the offices of the Department almost oscillating with activity, Iver decides to break away. He calls in sick and travels north with the Coastal Corridor from Port Kejm to the fishing and fish farming town of Urrsvika in the east of the region of Berg.
In the midst of the seasonal rain, Iver starts walking the streets of the quaint town and as the movie flashes back to the summer of '91, we get a view of Iver and his new friends Vidar and Elsa, and their lively and untroubled relationship. Two days before the end of that summer, when Iver is about to return home, we see him writing the letter where he proclaims his love for Vidar. When he arrives at Vidar's house, he finds the boy's mother crying on the doorstep, and it turns out that Vidar has suffered a fall that resulted in his death after diving from a cliff. Iver, stricken with grief, tears his letter to shreds and runs.
In the present, Iver's wanderings have brought him to Vidar's old house. As he sits by the side of the road, a young girl approaches him. She inquires if he got her letter, and proceeds to tell Iver the story of how she came into possession of it. Unbeknownst to Iver, Vidar and Elsa were lovers, and Elsa became pregnant that summer. Years later, Vidar's daughter found Iver's letter, meticulously pieced together, in an old drawer. While deeply intrigued by the boy who loved the father she'd never met, she never dared ask her mother about Iver. The death of Vidar still plagued her mother, and she rarely spoke of him. During the height of the summer's wildfires, Elsa and her daughter are watching the news, and as Iver's name and face appears on the screen, Elsa shrieks and quickly leaves the room. Piecing two and two together, the daughter surmises Iver's identity and sends him a transcribed copy of the old letter in the hopes that he will come north. At the daughter's request, Iver tells her of Vidar and all his fond memories of that summer years ago. Before departing, they share a hug.
At the closing of the film, Iver returns to Port Kejm and volunteers to be lead engineer on one of the big reconstruction projects deep in the Interior.
*A vast forested area in the middle of Gnejs. Home to a large population of homesteaders, but other encroachments are heavily regulated by a number of different laws. (for example The Interior and the Right to Homesteading Act of 1891).
Domestic reception and trivia
Domestic reception was divided, with some praising the low-key storytelling, while others complained the movie lacked momentum and bordered on being outright boring. All agreed that the cinematography was exquisite, especially the scenes shot on location in Urrsvika and the coastal surroundings. Lead actor Martin Strand received praise for his portrayal of Iver, in particular his way of "acting-without-speaking", pointing back towards the fact the Iver doesn’t actually speak much throughout the film.
The movie makes quite a few references to the (at the time of production ongoing) Second Lauchenoirian Civil war, mainly by including excerpts from radio news broadcasts in the background of several scenes. In the domestic reception of the film, a number of critics interpreted the character of Iver's indifference towards these current events – despite them being continually present – and his preoccupation with his own troubles as a critique of the Unionist government and their treatment of the conflict.
Director:
Ellinor Sørfold
Main characters:
Martin Strand – Iver (adult)
Johan Menner – Iver (young)
Baard Gardar – Vidar
Ingrid Aegis – Elsa
Johanne Gram – The daughter
Languages spoken:
Swedish, Norwegian, English
Release:
29th of November, 2018