Falling Sky

Colour, 35 mm
Norway, 2002, 87 min
Section: Variety Critics´ Choice

Synopsis

A blackly comic criss-crosser, centered on various inmates of a psychiatric hospital just prior to Christmas, Falling Sky is sharp, touching and thoroughly entertaining. The central character is Reidar (Kristoffer Joner), an inmate of an Oslo institution who´s convinced a meteor is about to hit Earth. Another inmate is suicidal Juni (Maria Bonnevie), with whom Reidar is in love but who has a habit of slugging anyone who comes near her. The hospital´s head shrink (Kim Bodnia) is impotent but longs to renew the love he once had with his wife (Hildegun Riise). The pic is unpredictable and often surprising in its developments, but never loses sight of its core black humor even in the warmer moments. First-time feature helmer Gunnar Vikene smoothly moves between the different story threads.
Gunnar Rehlin