Film Archive

The Almost Man

Official Selection - Competition 2012 / Mer eller mindre mann / Norway 2012

Despite the approaching birth of his first child, plain-looking, thirty-something Henrik does everything he can to maintain the illusion of youth by following its unbridled conventions. His inept banter, however, masks an insecure individual who escapes the surrounding world through irony. Laced with bitterness, this psychological study banks on authenticity and strong acting performances.

Synopsis

Despite the approaching birth of his first child, plain-looking, 30-something Henrik does everything he can to maintain the illusion of youth by following its unbridled conventions. He also enjoys a fair amount of adolescent wisecracking, but this doesn’t seem to bother his partner. Yet when kindhearted Tone organizes a pleasant evening party for friends and colleagues in their newly acquired home, Henrik takes off, preferring his high school buddies, who share his fondness for wild piss-ups and crude humor. His inept behavior, however, masks an insecure individual who escapes the surrounding world through irony. Laced with bitterness, this psychological study banks on authenticity and strong acting performances, above all from Henrik Rafaelsen, recently seen in the successful comedy Happy, Happy. He acted multiple aspects of the problematic main character, combining them to achieve a provocative ambiguity.

About the film

80 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Martin Lund / Screenplay Martin Lund / Dir. of Photography Morten Forsberg / Editor Lars Apneseth / Producer Ruben Thorkildsen / Production Ape&Bjørn AS / Cast Henrik Rafaelsen, Janne Heltberg Haarseth / Contact Ape&Bjørn AS, LevelK
www: www.apeogbjorn.no

About the director

Martin Lund (b. 1979) studied art direction at Westerdals School of Communication in Oslo before being accepted into the directing program at the Norwegian Film School at Lillehammer; he graduated in 2008 with the short film Balloon Moods. Four years previously, however, he toured a number of festivals with Home Game (Hjemmekamp, 2004), including Clermont-Ferrand and Sundance. In addition to other short films (Shall We Dance?, 2007, and Pistachio, 2009), he is a multiple award-winning director of commercials. His feature debut Twigson Ties the Knot (2010) is part of an enormously successful Norwegian film franchise.