Review: Mannen som elsket Yngve (2008)

[Steve Rhodes]

THE MAN WHO LOVED YNGVE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2009 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****):  ** 1/2

In THE MAN WHO LOVED YNGVE (MANNEN SOM ELSKET YNGVE), Jarle Klepp (Rolf 
Kristian Larsen) complains to the audience that, it being 1989, he doesn't 
have a cell phone or an iPod.  The girls all want to leave Norway and go to 
America to become au pairs.  He wonders what an au pair really is and why 
all the girls want to becomes one.

While trying to get his rock band off the ground, Jarle is a disaffected 
teen living his life as the events of the world, including the breaking down 
of the Berlin Wall and the ending of the Cold War, swirl around him.

Called the Mathias Rust Band, Jarle's group of three aspiring musicians 
finally gets a gig.  They will be the opening act for Mighty Dog Food. 
Since they are too young even to get into local clubs, such as Checkpoint 
Charlie, the thought of his band playing at one of them is pretty exciting.

Another exciting part of Jarle's life is that Cathrine Halsnes (Ida Elise 
Broch), the beautiful brunette he has been chasing for six months, is 
finally and officially his girlfriend.  She is a pretty young lass who 
eagerly supplies him with all of the sex that he wants.

"I'm glad you're mine," Cathrine tells him midway through the story.  This 
line, although honest, is ironic, since by then Jarle finds that his gaze is 
now always on a gorgeous new blonde at school -- his name is Yngve Lima (Ole 
Christoffer Ertvaag).

While sporadically interesting, the movie was never compelling enough for 
me.  Still, it was never a bad movie.  I found myself more interested in 
hearing the similarities between Norwegian and English than I was interested 
in the story.  But the actors do give genuine performances, that much is 
certain.

THE MAN WHO LOVED YNGVE runs 1:38.  The film is in Norwegian with English 
subtitles.

The film is being shown as part of San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival 
(www.Cinequest.org), which runs February 25-March 8, 2009.

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