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.

```

SIFF Sighting: A MAN'S JOB (drama; Finland)

How far would you go to save your family from financial ruin?

The main character in this film, Juha (Tommi Korpela), decides on male prostitution. He's recently been fired from the plant and realizes he has no other marketable skills, so he enlists his friend Olli (Jani Volanen) to act as his "driver" (a.k.a. pimp) and organize the escort operation for a sizable commission.

At home, Juha's depressed wife Katja (Maria Heiskanen) cares for their three children and spends her days hating life; at his new job, Juha sexually caters to everything from senior citizens to disabled teens (even one who beats him with a brush as she bathes with him).

At first, you can't help but hope his "business" succeeds. He genuinely loves his family and he genuinely seems out of options.

But the deceit of lying to loved ones, coupled with the emotional toll of intimacy with strangers soon begins to decay Juha's world and his reality spins out of control.

I couldn't take my eyes off this, and if you see it you won't be able to either. The man sitting in the seat of life that's vulnerable is a refreshing, if not uncomfortable change to witness in film.

Kudos to these storytellers for not being afraid to make the movie, and for doing it so well.

A MAN'S JOB will be shown Monday, May 26 at Uptown Cinema as part of the 34th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

```