Home for Christmas (2010)

Home for Christmas: Directed by Bent Hamer. With Nina Andresen Borud, Arianit Berisha, Joachim Calmeyer, Trond Fausa. The film looks at those who are desperately trying to connect or reconnect with their families, friends, or anyone who will listen.

“I love this film and consider it a modern Christmas classic. It has many of the elements of a traditional Christmas story – a couple welcoming a newborn in the what amounts to a stable, meaningful signs in the sky, touching and sad family scenes – as well as Bent Hameru0026#39;s unmistakable wry, Norwegian sense of humour. Certain scenes made me laugh out loud while my husband thought my reaction was odd. I guess you either get his jokes or you donu0026#39;t. Personally, I find all of Hameru0026#39;s films funny in a droll way. While the opening scene is particularly bleak, donu0026#39;t be deterred. The story quickly changes time and place.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film gives you a Christmas Eve peek into the lives and relationships of several individuals and couples, young and old, in a small Norwegian town. You see how modernity and tradition live side by side in a peaceful and practical way, reflective of Norwayu0026#39;s down to earth cultural maturity.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI thought all of the actors were quite good and well-cast in their roles. There are as many sad endings as happy ones for the characters in this film, so itu0026#39;s a far more realistic interpretation of a Christmas story than u0026quot;Itu0026#39;s a Wonderful Lifeu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI enjoy Scandinavian films in general and Bent Hameru0026#39;s films in particular. If you liked u0026quot;Ou0026#39;Hortonu0026quot; and u0026quot;Kitchen Storiesu0026quot; this is probably your kind of Christmas film. It was difficult to find a copy of u0026quot;Hjem til julu0026quot;, I had to buy a copy of it on Ebay from someone in the Philippines. Iu0026#39;m sure it had decent distribution in Europe, but good luck finding it in North America. No oneu0026#39;s seeding it on Torrentz. Still, if youu0026#39;re a Hamer fan, itu0026#39;s well worth the hunt. Now, if only I could find u0026quot;Eggsu0026quot;”