WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The undeniable exuberance of passion. When something in our life grabs us with such an urgency that there’s simply no denying it, we as human beings tend to just dive in, not always considering the cost of the decisions we make. While we will justify good intentions for said actions, there could be such instances where the choice to pursue that which we’re longing for may NOT truly be in our, and subsequently even others’, best interests at all. It is the Spring of 1945 in Olso, Norway, and as the near of the Nazi occupation is arriving, a local teacher named Elsa (Nina Yndis) has been experiencing a moment of compulsion with a Nazi soldier, Kristian (Lars Berge) come back to haunt her even as the specter of war will now manifest in a whole different way for her, even with the potentially buried longings, or jealousies, of a trusted friend Gunnar (Jonas Strand Gravli), whom she’s always relied upon.
Next, my Mind:
History, shadows of conflict, the price of choices made, and the ensuing aftermath encompassing desperation, manipulation, misunderstanding, judgement, and the basic but genuine human need for affection all play an impactful part in this 17-minute short film from director Rebecca King, writer Lizzie Nunnery, along with producers Victoria Fäh and Nina Yndis that paints an affecting, compelling, and revealing portrait of wartime and the unanticipated consequences of decisions explored in the face of occupying forces during a pivotal, world-altering time. Having had a recent screening as a selection for the 2024 Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival that ran August 6-11 in Providence, this critic was quite fascinated to watch this effort, as I was not at all familiar with the particular plight women in Norway were facing during this period of time in the midst of then at end of the war. At minimum, it assuredly opens one’s eyes to the realities of the human condition in such a stormy circumstance and makes you stop and consider whether the subsequent vilification they experienced was honestly warranted only in part OR overall.
Centered on one woman’s dilemma as the war is ending, their oppressors are in retreat, and one instance of intimacy has put her life in a totally different (and harrowing) realm of current, soon-to-be-encountered threat via heavily antagonistic scrutiny and newly formed oppression, what I first appreciated about the film’s grander execution was the slow-burn yet fully engaging pacing it presented its narrative through, as it lends itself to allowing an abbreviated timeframe to still deliver the intended messages with undeniably persuasive force and purpose while also feeling a sense of completeness to it that then promotes you as the viewer to want to LEARN more about what you’ve just witnessed. Again, for me, it was the lack of familiarity with this scenario occurring that MADE we look up more information about it, and hence there’s an educational aspect to seeing this film that deftly elicits this desire, at least in my opinion. It humanizes war, not in a manner of course to GLORIFY it, but rather to simply illustrate the manner in which it touched the lives of so many women in Norway and dictated actions they chose to take, for good or ill being the unknown “wild card” here.
Was it for their own personal gains, sacrificing even their sexuality for privilege? Was it to feel like they could aid in somehow undermining the Nazi occupation/presence? Was it under the assumption they might believe they were “joining” what they felt was the winning side and then found out otherwise? Was it to prevent retaliations against their cities or villages by Nazi officers? Were they the scapegoats for the mob mentality that came about after the war was through because the Nazi’s themselves were no longer present to be held accountable or punished for their atrocities? Or was it the sheer fact that regardless of allegiances, these were young men and women brought together by the harshness and even fully unwanted horror of war that legitimately fell in love as PEOPLE, not enemies? Was it a possible combination of ALL or some of these factors? One could argue all of this lingers on and below the surface of this film’s narrative, and to see that statistical facts that are presented after the film’s wholly heartbreaking and unequivocally emotional finale really places things in quite a perspective when taking this all into account.
Additionally, the entire concept of guilt vs. innocence and how what might have been able to be applicable to SOME got assigned to the WHOLE gets addressed here as well, and the fact that it took 73 YEARS for the women and their families to get an apology from their country’s government speaks VOLUMES to just how difficult the situation was. Our simple but powerful yearning to be loved (good or bad intentions aside) and the depths of pain betrayal can bring also see screen time here to effective and applicable degrees. As with may of the films I am watching over the years, this was another “first time” seeing the actors involved beginning with Yndis and her title role as Elsa, a woman who now finds herself caught between loyalty to nation and to her own heart after becoming involved with one of the Nazi soldiers that occupy the city of Olso. Attempting to maintain her own level of attachment and any sense of normalcy that can be had, the end of the war has now brought about both conflicted feelings when an incident in her village goes south, her adoration of a solider becomes tainted, and the divulgence of her situation is made known.
How Yndis displays such an admirable attitude that’s filled with ardent emotional weight yet does so with an understatedly but wholeheartedly powerful delivery carries the story adeptly and with a magnitude of needed believability that ends up making you feel a multitude of ways about the character, her evident decisions, and how she chooses to face the music for it. It’s an excellent performance and much more impassioned that the surface shows thanks to Yndis’ talents. Berge plays Kristian, one of the Nazi soldiers in Elsa’s village who’s become enamored with Elsa thanks to an initial encounter they’ve experienced together. Now to a point of having to confront the end of the war, hence the defeat of his country’s forces, Kristian’s own affiliations seem a moot point to him overall as he strives to keep his relationship alive, more desperately when the incident occurs that tears at the very fabric of their partnership. I likewise admired Berge’s ability to come across as both seemingly cold, duty-bound Nazi soldier AND as an “everyman” whose founds himself in an almost impossible position between his devotion to cause and to her.
Finally, Gravli steps into his role as Gunnar, a man who resides in Elsa’s home as well, and who most definitely might hold his own candle for her, even though his absolute commitment to the liberation of Norway’s people from their Nazi invaders could end up trumping the fervency in his heart, even at the cost of spearheading a revelation that will further put Elsa in danger. Once more, it is one of those understated performances that serves Gunnar’s character wonderfully, eliciting those feelings of sympathy for his pining heart in spite of what is in play on a larger scale, but then also perhaps despising him for taking the steps he ends up choosing. Additional supporting turns arrive here through Anne Magga Wigelius, Chris Stanchev, and Nicklas Kingo. So, in total, “Elsa” is an affecting example of perfectly uncomplicated filmmaking tackling a decidedly complex, multi-faceted issue with intriguing, riveting, and totally evocative potency, spurring you to want to learn more about the history being portrayed while ultimately seeing what it comes down to–no matter how you choose to interpret the state of affairs depicted–the human heart plus forgiveness.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
