Dragonflies (2001)

the audience applauded

Best movie ever!

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Eddie is a chubby beardy bear of bloke living out in a big wood timbered farmhouse next to a lake with his young girlfriend Marie; far away from everyone and everything ."All i want is you" says she. "And i want you" says he. Cushty. Maria is up the duff.But somebody is going to ruin this lovely life in a minute. Cue Kullman. He too wants some of what they want."You have a good life" says Kullman envious. "Want to play a game?" He gets them both to close their eyes. Boo! "You knew something horrible was going to happen. And then it did. That's what makes it so terrible" says Kullman. Maria doesn't want to play. She's sussed his game.After this I'm suspecting Kullman is going to be a menace in a psycho nutcase kind of way. And as if to confirm this suspicion he's deliberately sliced his leg with a chainsaw to get to stay longer. She knows. Then neighbours dog is in boot of Kullmans car dead. Claims he ran over it. Next, a nearby barn is on fire."She's too good for you" says Kullman to Eddie. And for a while Eddie goes a bit bonkers with jealous rage.A distinct change has taken place: it's Eddie – rather than Kullman – who is "ruining everything" stamping about and chucking tiles off the roof. His aggressive old thuggish self is jumping about, scaring Marie off. Kullman, by contrast, seems like a little boy lost, just wanting to belong, be accepted, be included; share in some of the good stuff Eddie has been having (living here in this rural idyll with the lovely Marie) The Bad Guy role has been subtly switched. Gradually, I'm feeling more sympathetically inclined towards Kullman – which i guess is what i was meant to feel.At the end Eddie comes back to his cuddly - huggy baby - bear self again. Although he does give a metaphorical slap to Kullmans face: "You were never really a friend, not really". And Kullman is left there, friendless, alone, unwanted, rejected. Yes, i did feel sorry for him.Its a relief the film hasn't got all silly with contrived thriller genre plotty twists and potty turns. It's kept true to its melancholic undertow, mostly – stayed close to its quiet Norwegian roots.

"Dragonfly" is a superbly acted Norwegian film that works at many levels. Ultimately its message is that we can only overcome feelings of anger, resentment, etc., by making changes within ourselves, not by trying to change other people's lives. If however you are not in the mood for introspection it still works well as a simple story. The characters are very real, and I find it hard to believe that they do not exist somewhere in Norway, which is always a sign of a good film.I cannot however agree with the recommendation "If you like this title, we also recommend. What Lies Beneath", the two films could hardly be more different.

I saw this film at the 2002 Vancouver International Film Festival, mainly because I wanted to see if it could transcend the typical limitations of a low-budget thriller. Well, it does. . . and it doesn't. The director gets great performances from his three main actors, and he crafts his material with a strong visual eye. But the story laps into incoherence about half-way through, and it fails to deliver an emotionally satisfying ending. Close, but not close enough.

Wonderful pictures, attention to detail, and very talented actors. It's a shame that the story is too slow without any actual release. After an initial comment by Mikael Persbrandt's character I personally kept waiting for "something bad" to happen all through the movie.In the time-honored tradition of Scandinavian drama there will be shouting and full frontal nudity. Typical "wannabe serious moviegoer's" favorite, 4/10.