The main protagonist, Jomar Henriksen, is a man who has lost almost everything precious to him. He is disappointed with love and friendship, he has lost his job along with his common sense, he suffers from panic attacks, his wife has left him for his best friend, and he drinks heavily.
At the start of the film, Jomar learns he has a young son, from the very man who took his wife. The two have a fist fight that leaves Jomar on the ground. He drags himself home and immediately starts to drink. Just a short while later, Jomar's opponent returns and the two embrace, in tears.
Director Rune Denstad Lango's road movie has a powerful beginning, and it is clear from the start that there will be no psychoanalysing here, just the gloomy story of a lonely and introverted man on the brink.
Jomar, played excellently by Anders Baasmo, sets his home on fire and decides to journey on snowmobile to find his wife and son. On the way, he meets many colourful characters, who are at least as lonely as he is.
The film's screenwriter Erlend Loe, best known for his novels Na?ve Super and Doppler, is an expert at crafting a nervous breakdown. Almost all of his protagonists are successful men who one day dip into a nosedive. Jomar is one of these characters, travelling on a bleak and depressing journey that is still awe-inspiring. Cinematographer Philip ?gaard brings out the cruel face of nature and places the characters as ants on a bleak, snow-covered landscape. The feeling of loneliness is effectively exaggerated by this beautiful but threatening landscape, where getting lost is not only a symbolic danger but a real one. Nobody would find a body here, under the metres of snow and ice.
Author: Veronika Ágnes Tóth
