Soviet Hippies

In a time of increasing political polarization between Russia, Europe and the West, it is a popular notion in the media that Russians are a different species – both warlike and corrupt. What many may not know is the extent to which dissent still exists  in Russia, often exemplified in young subcultures related to music and fashion.

The idea that there were hippies in the Soviet Union may seem bizarre, but Russia is a large country with a great soul, and tolerance for different life attitudes is perhaps one of the country's best kept secrets. Not all Russians today are avid churchgoers or written members of the Putin loyalist United Russia party – just as little as every Soviet citizen was a communist or working on collective bargaining.

In Soviet Hippies, we follow a bunch of veterans of the Soviet hippie movement. On a bus trip from Estonia to Moscow, they talk about bygone revolutionary times and recipes for homemade LSD.

The savior

The savior tells the story of how a small group of Danish missionaries created a large Christian congregation from their base in the Numan Bachama area, which is today located in the western part of Nigeria. Early in the 20. century, however, the city belonged to Sudan. The story in the film is structured around the diary notes of the missionary Niels Brønnum from 1913. At the beginning of 1913, he and his pregnant wife Margaret Brønnum made their first trip to "dark Sudan," as part of the United Sudan Mission – an international (US-dominated) project.

The portrayal is done with great loyalty and empathy.

At the beginning of the film, we meet the last Danish missionary in the area, Rikke Vestergaard, who doubts that someone will replace her when she retires soon. Mission is no longer what it was. Although age has begun to weigh on her, her strict sense of duty ensures that she is unable to leave her job in Sudan. Every time she visits Denmark, she always seems to wonder: "What are you doing here where no one needs you?"

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A Praise of Nothing

Boris Mitic 'In Praise of Nothing is probably the most unusual documentary you'll see this year.

With its crackling soundtrack can A Praise of Nothing Remind yourself a bit of a movie from the beginning of the 20. century, where an old gramophone record stands and floats after the song ends. To the howling sound of a sad saxophone, the first images emerge: first the sun in need of dark clouds, then endless whiteness seen from a passing icebreaker, then a wide, deserted main road, and then a cat food advertising poster in an apocalyptic landscape. The lyrics continue: "One day, 'Nothing' sticks from home, tired of being misunderstood / it crosses eight mountains and eight seas ... / ... and arrives in our secluded valley."

The Empire of Red Gold

Røverdatter

The movie starts with Sofia ringing on a door. The woman who opens says that she has not seen her father for many years either. Sofia continues to search, street-wide and without luck.

Being a "robber daughter" is no joke, but it can be a useful story.

19 months later she drives to retrieve her father, who comes out of jail. He seems handsome and harmless. In the passenger seat, he complains: “I've never sat so long ago ». Mouth-scrapped, she replies: "There will only be longer and longer penalties for each time!" "You know that a lot, you who are just 26," replies his father and laughs. Sofia sends him a grimace. The conversation seems exceptionally easy and free, considering the situation. Sofia knows too much about the consequences of her father's choices. Both scenes are symptomatic of the style and content of the film.

You read the entire review here
You can watch the movie NRK's ​​web player

Aleppo's fall

The fall of Aleppo takes a hilltop view of the Syrian conflict and occasionally comes dangerously close to the drama in Syria's capital. 

"I want to see the rebellion from the inside," says director Nizam Najar's narrative voice in the documentary Aleppo's fall. The Oslo-based filmmaker has backgrounds from Syria, Libya and Sudan, and was born in Aleppo where he also lived from he was 10 until he was 16 years.

An important point seems to be that the inability to stand together contributed to the rebels' defeat and Aleppo's fall.

In the film, Najar returns to the now heavily war-torn Syrian metropolis, ten years after he last visited it. Together with a local photographer, he decides to seek out one of the city's front lines to find out why the rebels have failed to fight President Bashar al-Assad, three years after the riots began.

You read the entire review here
You can watch the movie NRK's ​​web player

The Tale

The Tale is an autobiographical and ambivalent tale of abuse and subsequent trauma, based on director Jennifer Fox's own experiences as a child. 

"Tell about your first sexual experience!" The question is asked to a young student in front of a crowded hall. Famously, the young, cocky girl tries to describe the good feeling – without using the word "orgasm". "If you can't talk about sex, you can't expect to make a good documentary either!"

We are witnessing media professor Jennifer Fox getting swept up in the notion of herself and her happy memory of her own sexual debut. The relentless aggressiveness of the scene provokes discomfort. Actor Laura Dern appears with intensity, depth and credibility as never before – the director has chosen the right actor to carry her autobiographical story.

You read the entire review here
You can stream the movie with HBO Nordic