SIFF Sighting: IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE (Drama; Norway)

Jenny (Silje Salomonsen) is pregnant with her daughter Merete (Iben Osten Hjelle) when she's caught in the middle of a robbery.

Forced to defend herself, she begins shooting and hits two people. Sentenced ten years for murder, her family raises Merete until she is freed.

Once she's out of prison, Jenny, like so many, has trouble acclimating back to normal life. Though all she desires is to make a solid home for her daughter, she can't help but get caught up in the lifestyle of drugs and criminal activity that she was once a part of, which puts both of them in dangerous situations.

There's nothing much that's new here, but the story does serve as a reminder of how vital it is to isolate those caught up in such a lifestyle from their former demons.

Though I tired of the melancholy music playing over scenes of longing, I did quite like the main character and her sweet, endearing daughter. I rooted for them, even though some of the dramatic conventions were a bit overdone.

IT'S ALL MAKE BELIEVE will screen at the 40th Seattle International Film Festival on June 5 and 6. For tickets, go here.

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SIFF Sighting: 1,000 TIMES GOOD NIGHT (Drama; Norway)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that's definitely the case for war photographer Rebecca (Juliette Binoche), who has trouble tearing herself away from conflict to life a 'normal' life with her family.

This powerful, poignant drama, reminiscent of THE HURT LOCKER in the sense that the protagonist can't acclimate back to real life, examines not only the ramifications for those in the thick of the action, but also those left behind.

1,000 TIMES GOOD NIGHT will be shown at the 40th Seattle International Film Festival May 23 and 25. For tickets, go here.

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SIFF Sighting: UPPERDOG (drama; Norway)

Axel (Hermann Sabado) and Anne (Birgitte Victoria Svendsen) are a brother and sister of Asian heritage, adopted by separate Norwegian parents. Axel is the younger of the two, and has no conscious memories of his past; Anne is older and remembers him, and their life with the mother they shared.

Anne is a working class, sweet individual who enjoys a modest life. Axel has enjoyed a privileged upbringing and has the spoiled attitude to show for it. He entraps his current girlfriend by sending a man to cheat with her (she complies), then uses his "grief" over losing her as an excuse to move back in with his wealthy parents and do... nothing. Well, except for the maid.

The maid his parents have hired, Maria (Agnieszka Grochowska) is a feisty, gorgeous girl from Poland, earning money to send back to the son she left behind. Despite Axel's awful treatment of her, she falls in love with him and realizes from a picture on the wall that he is the long-lost brother of her roommate and friend Anne. When she attempts to reunite the two, she at first fails, but when Anne learns of how close she's become with Axel, she reconsiders and agrees to a reunion.

This is all incredibly compelling (and well-acted), but what slows the film down is the romance that Anne enters into with Per (Mads Sjøgård Pettersen), a soldier back from the war who is fighting his own demons from the past. He has the potential to be the most complex of the characters, but unfortunately falls short, leaving us to wonder why Anne is so smitten with him.

In a profound way, the film communicates how deeply we can be affected by things that happened to us months or even years ago. How our day-to-day life is altered by how we view our identity, and why resolution and healing are so critical to our personal growth.

UPPERDOG screened at the 36th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

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SIFF Sighting: NORTH (dramedy; Norway)

Rune Denstad Langlo's NORTH follows the journey of Jomar (Anders Baasmo) as he ventures through arctic landscapes to meet the son he never knew existed. He is not unlike a large portion of the population: he's depressed, he hates his job and he wishes he were in a place where he could feel safe and comfortable again (in his case, that turns out to be a mental hospital).

As is also common, negativity breeds trouble. When one feels sorry for oneself, bad luck seems to magnify and each day after the next is a tougher challenge. This is true for Jomar, who battles snow blindness, a broken snowmobile and other things that can only happen to those traveling alone in the snowy wilderness who hate their life.

He encounters different folks, who seem quirky by obligation, and has random exchanges with all of them—some who give him shelter; others who try creative ways to get him drunk.

As with any road trip movie, in NORTH one hopes to be taken somewhere new. Unfortunately the main character's rare moments of humor and intrigue only succeed in keeping us somewhere familar.

NORTH screened at the 35th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

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