Just as Kingpin put tenpin bowling on the map, this mild satirical comedy does the same with curling. This ‘bowling on ice’ is very popular in Norway and the same can be said of the protagonist and co-writer Atle Antonson, who acquired a great deal of fame in the hilarious TV series by the director Ole Endresen.
Antonson plays Truls Paulsen, a well-to-do curling star. Diagnosed with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, he has to stop taking part in competitions. But then he hears that his coach Gordon is dying and decides to fight back. Truls leaves his wife, stops taking medicines and brings together his old teammates. When they succeed in winning the national championships, Gordon is able to afford his expensive lung transplant operation.
Endresen set his anti-hero film against a backdrop of sets from the 1970s and 1980s, supported by a similarly dated soundtrack. The running gags, which ridicule the winner’s mentality, work thanks to the perfect timing of the actors.
Film details
- Country of production
- Norway
- Year
- 2011
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2012
- Length
- 75'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
