Monday 20 March 2006
Kitchen Stories (2003)
There was an ever so surreal quality to this Swedish-Norwegian production that the word "quirky" doesn't even begin to encompass. Picture the scene: it is sometime after World War II and a Swedish research body decides to observe the pattern of behaviour of single Norwegian farmers in their kitchens. Keep in mind that the Swedes were also "observers" during the war, unlike Norway and Denmark who were invaded. The idea is for one team member to perch on a high seat in the host farmers' kitchens and plot their movements, but not to interact with them in any way. Of the two characters central to our story, the relationship starts as one of distrust, but eventually segues to a warmer friendship -- which is strictly against the rules. There is so much in this film which seems to move to a different drummer and while one wished for a happy ending, the movie finishes -- if my reading was correct -- in a totally unexpected and not equally satisfactory way for the protagonists. I was a little disappointed that the feel-good denouement never came in its expected shape.
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2 comments:
I spent the first ten minutes of this thinking when is it going to start? Then I realised. It was something else completely. It is to films what Fiona Talkington is to radio 3.
I think you have to watch it along the Samuel Beckett minimalism lines. It would be be a perfect Beckett ending - so much about relationship of distrust as you say - the observer's only doing a job, while the old guy feels like a prisoner, and you feel for both of them. It's actually quite dark.
Those moments when he goes to such lengths, upstairs to go about un-observed are great moments. And the relationship goes full circle, as so often happens. The ending I think suits the characters quite well, you know. The observer only took the job because he'd failed at everything else, and was no longer needed. At least there, he'd found a way of life that he understood, while it made a neat turn-around of fate as well.
It's a very physical film actually - their movements and gestures hold a lot of power, because they're done with such thought and caution.
Anyway I dislike happy endings - it's not the way things are in real life.....
Thanks for stopping by my journal. I used to watch movies all the time b.c. (before computers). I still get on a kick where I will watch nothing but. I hate most of todays movies and find myself turning to the few that were actually worth watching or to the black & whites of yesterday. In the past few years I have watched more and more independent & foreign films. Problem is now that I am older, anytime I sit still for very long watching one thing,I tend to fall asleep. I'll be back to check out more of your entries. Again, thanks for stopping by.
Barb
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