Rating: * * *
Verdict: Quirky and cute Norwegian rom com.
The difference between the sexes is at the heart of this offbeat and charming Norwegian romantic comedy by director Petter Naess (Elling).
A film for browbeaten men to commiserate over, it's the story of a nice, naive and nameless young man (Trond Fausa Aurvag) known only as "He", whose life is invaded by Marianne (Marian Saastad Ottesen), a talkative, chirpy redhead who turns up at his flat and promptly begins taking over his life.
Slowly he realises he's going to have to do something about Marianne. Not sure a relationship is what he wants, He takes refuge at the local swimming pool and meets Glenn (Peter Stormare), a fellow swimmer who offers plenty of advice on women and relationships, and who suggests sleeping with Marianne will help make sense of it all.
Once this has been accomplished, He decides the best thing to do is to fall madly in love with Marianne, something he plans getting started on first thing in the morning. From this moment there is little chance for the lovestruck He.
Aurvag is sweet and funny as He, and Ottesen does a good job of making Marianne bearable, which is quite a feat considering she is overly emotional, unstable, selfish, bossy and prone to whims; a caricature of a typical demanding girlfriend.
There is a misogynist undertone to Gone with the Woman, but it's balanced with plenty of wit and the fact that He also meets the caricature of the perfect girlfriend while in Paris recovering from a fight with Marianne. Also helping keep the mood light is the clever use of music, sounds, graphics and fast editing, giving the film a surreal edge which is cute and visually more engaging than your average romantic comedy.
Cast: Trond Fausa Aurvaag, Marian Saastad Ottesen, Henrik Mestad
Director: Petter Naess
Running time: 92 mins
Rating: M (sex scenes & offensive language).
