Helga Backe

A meta-film about a film and the common man in our own political reality. A reality that is just scenes of a film without any cinematic development, but which might be plain reality tomorrow.

Tonny is a school boy in foster care who serves his first sentence in jail. We follow him 24 hours before his parole and 48 hours after his release. We get to see his experiences in prison and his relationship with his mother, friends and girlfriend Kari.

Young Petter moves together with his family from a happy life in a rural fisher's village to a rough community and school life in the city of Oslo.

This historical drama is based on a play by Henrik Ibsen and set in the year 1528. The central figure in the low-keyed story is a Norwegian noblewoman who is seeking to bring independence to that country despite the involved political intrigues of the Swedes and Danes, who are using Norway as a pawn in their rivalries.

Thorvald runs a local bus route, with a 1923-model bus nicknamed 'Gamla', in the Norwegian country side. Thorvald himself always takes time to make numerous stops along his route to help out with the smallest of problems. The old man is so caring he sometimes forgets to charge money from his travelers. But modern times are lurking on the doorstep - in the figure of a grumpy county official and an offer from an outside bus company.

" Broder Gabrielsen " in its time awoke a major debate , and already during the shooting of the film went high waves in the press . The film points a strong warning against religious fanaticism and against contemporary preachers, and it met then also strong opposition from some of these . In the film we meet the piecemeal lay preacher , Brother Gabrielsen ( ALF MALLAND ) , who discovers how modern music , rhythms and ecstasy gives great success when it comes to getting listeners to his preaching . He will soon get his big break , and keeps ecstatic revival meetings with tongues and " healings " through prayer . It ends in discouragement and defeat then wonders absent for Gabrielsen , and personal tragedies for those who were misguided .