Elling

Synopsis: When his mother, who has sheltered him his entire 40 years, dies, Elling, a sensitive, would-be poet, is sent to live in a state institution. There he meets Kjell Bjarne, a gentle giant and female-obsessed virgin in his 40s. After two years, the men are released and provided with a state-funded apartment and stipend with the hope they will be able to live on their own. Initially, the simple act of going around the corner for groceries is a challenge. Through a friendship born of desperate dependence, the skittish Elling and the boisterous, would-be lover of women, Kjell Bjarne, discover they can not only survive on the outside, they can thrive. But as their courage grows, the two find oddball ways to cope with society, striking up the most peculiar friendships in the most unlikely places.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director(s): Petter Næss
Production: First Look Pictures
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 4 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.6
Metacritic:
70
Rotten Tomatoes:
85%
R
Year:
2001
89 min
$63,227
Website
204 Views


I've always been a mommy's boy.

I was an only child, as my mother.

We enjoyed each other's company.

No one ever came to visit.

But when mother died, they came.

Total strangers, that wanted to

talk to me about my life.

Didn't they have their own lives to talk about?

It is generous of the Norwegian

government to supply a place -

- for people who are in a...

hectic phase in their lives.

But I just wanted to be left alone.

I hated that the institution insisted we open up.

Talk about mother and me and our

intense two-ness through 40 years.

My roommate was an orangutan

who only cared about women and food.

I'm not thrilled about being here either.

I'm almost 40, and I've never f***ed.

You have half your life ahead of you.

I have half my life behind me, live in

a nuthouse, and have never f***ed.

- It's overrated.

- Is f***ing overrated?

- You get tired of it.

- I'd never get tired of f***ing.

I've never had many friends.

None, actually.

But it became clear that Kjell Bjarne

needed a... spiritual guide.

I was third mate on a cruise ship.

Came to a brothel in the Caribbean.

With naked chicks?

I impressed the Negresses so much

that they forgot to charge me.

Holy sh*t!

Kjell Bjarne liked my stories so much

that he shared them with Gunn.

- Elling has lied to you, Kjell Bjarne.

- Lied?

- Aren't you in Bandidos?

- I'm not exactly a member.

- The chick you f***ed on a motorbike?

- All lies.

You're just jealous, Gunn.

Eventually things settled down.

The lady on that tropical island

that rubbed you and herself in with...

Oil? Another lie.

I don't give a sh*t.

- Do you mean that?

- Sure. As long as you tell it again.

Kjell Bjarne never shared

another story with Gunn.

And after two years the Norwegian

government decided -

- to give Kjell Bjarne and me our

own welfare apartment.

Bye.

In the center of Oslo!

From there we are going to

attempt a return to reality.

Yes? Where to?

Kjell Bjarne and I are of course going to Oslo.

One way?

Are there different ways?

The quickest way to Oslo.

We are going to be met by

social worker Frank Aasli.

You work for the government too.

Are you generally nice people?

130 kroner each.

It cost 25 kroner when mother

and I took the train.

- That must have been 30 years ago.

- It was.

Come on, Elling.

Elling!

Hey! Elling and Kjell Bjarne?

The merry travelers.

Are you... Frank Aasli?

- Do they have hot dogs here?

- How was your trip?

- What's your name again?

- Frank Aasli, Kjell Bjarne!

- And you are a social worker?

- That's right.

- Are you married, Frank Aasli?

- Yes.

- Is she nice, Frank Aasli?

- Nice enough. Call me Frank.

- What's her name, Frank?

- Kjell Bjarne!

- Does she have any girlfriends?

- Kjell Bjarne!

Come on. Third floor.

Relax. This is your home now.

Either of you have a cigarette?

It's up to you to prove you can live alone.

Shop, cook...

Answer the phone.

Prove that you can live normal lives.

If you fail, there are plenty of people

waiting for this apartment.

- Isn't there any food here?

- No. You have to get it yourself.

Down the street to the left.

Ill come around and check on you.

I like good plans and fair deals.

And you each get your own bedroom.

Elling?

This is your room.

And you go down here, Kjell Bjarne.

Now put down that damn luggage!

- Is this my room?

- Great, huh? Your very own room.

Here's my phone number. But remember,

I have twelve people to care for.

Just like Jesus. He also had

twelve people to take care of.

Let's get something to eat.

On the county's dime.

Come on, Elling. The county is buying us dinner.

We just got here. Why go out

just to eat some lousy food?

To celebrate your new home.

Why not celebrate our new

home in our new home?

- We don't have anything to eat!

- Elling can buy us some food.

I've always had two enemies:

dizziness and anxiety.

Right around the corner.

They follow me, wherever I go.

Come on, you hippo!

I'm fine.

I'm fine, Frank. Just fine.

This is social worker Frank Aasli.

Have a slice, Elling.

You have to eat something.

No thank you.

No one can order me to eat, Frank.

You didn't move here to

sit and stare at the wall!

I expect you to go out again.

Fine, Kjell Bjarne.

Now it will be just like at the institution, Elling.

- I want to listen, Elling.

- Sure, but not to that.

There is only one station:

The Norwegian state station.

- Do you have a picture of your mom?

- Thought we could decorate.

Decorate with your mom? Hardly!

If my mom showed up, I'd throw her and

my f***ing step dad out on their asses!

Your mother gave birth to you, fed you,

washed your clothes.

Not my mom.

- Haven't you ever wanted to kill her?

- Why would I want to kill mother?

How about your dad? Was he nice?

Father died two weeks before I was born,

but I think mother liked him.

- I'm hungry, Elling.

- The store is out the door to the left.

Well done, Kjell Bjarne!

This is the best damn food

I have ever tasted.

NORWAYS FORMER PRIME MINISTER

Mother handled practical matters at home.

I was in charge of ideology.

The Norwegian Labor Party was an

excellent judge of right and wrong.

It's your turn to shop.

You haven't been outside once!

I have done other things.

And who eats all the food, anyway?

We should go out, like Frank says.

Go somewhere with chicks.

I've said it before: Women like clean,

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Ingvar Ambjørnsen

Ingvar Even Ambjørnsen-Haefs (born 20 May 1956) is a Norwegian writer. He is best known for his "Elling" tetralogy: Utsikt til paradiset (1993), Fugledansen (1995), Brødre i blodet (1996), and Elsk meg i morgen (1999).Brødre i blodet ("Blood brothers") was turned into a successful movie, entitled Elling, which received an Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Film category in 2001. The English translation of the novel is called Beyond the Great Indoors. Born in Tønsberg and raised in Larvik, his debut novel was a semi-autobiography called 23-salen ("The 23rd Row"), in which he criticized Norway's efforts to take care of psychically challenged individuals. In all his novels he has spoken for the outsiders' cause, as he did in his break-through novel Hvite Niggere ("White Niggers") in 1986. The novel is about a young man who leads a life somewhat on the edges of normal society. He is also known for the youth book series "Pelle og Proffen" which focuses on two teenage detectives who get involved in all kinds of mysteries or crimes involving drugs, pollution and neo-Nazism among other things. He started this project after reading some of Franklin W. Dixon's books about The Hardy Boys. The books Døden på Oslo S, Giftige Løgner, and De Blå Ulvene of this series were also turned into successful movies. In 2005 the book Drapene i Barkvik ("The murders in Barkvik") appeared, about the teenager Fillip Moberg attempting to solve an axe murder in a small Norwegian village. In 2010 Ambjørnsen stopped writing novels; Farvel til romanen. 24 timer i grenseland, published in 2014, is about that decision and about how he came to write his novels.Ambjørnsen has received many prizes for his writing. Among them are the Norwegian Booksellers Association's prize for the best book of the 1980s for children and young adults (Pelle and Proffen books), the Tabu prize in 2001, the Telenor Culture Award in 2002, and the Brage Prize in 1995.His three Samson and Roberto books have become particularly popular in Russia, in part due to the illustrations by Nikolay Vorontsov, which also contribute carefully orchestrated local Russian-related colloquialisms to the stories. Until 2014, Ambjørnsen frequently reviewed books for the Norwegian newspaper VG. Since 1985 he has lived in Hamburg with his German wife and translator, Gabriele Haefs. In 2009 he was made an honorary citizen of Larvik. more…

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