''Sons'' ( no, Sønner) is a 2006

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

film focusing on the conflict between a

pederast Pederasty or paederasty ( or ) is a sexual relationship between an adult man and a pubescent or adolescent boy. The term ''pederasty'' is primarily used to refer to historical practices of certain cultures, particularly ancient Greece and anc ...

and the boys with whom he has had intimate relationships (his "sons"). It is Erik Richter Strand's first feature film as a director, and the feature-film debut of producer

Eric Vogel Eric T. Vogel (1896 – 1980) was a Czech jazz trumpeter. In 1938, Vogel played trumpet in a dixieland combo. After being arrested at Brno in 1939 he was made to organize a jazz school in the Jewish ghetto of that city. In Theresienstadt concen ...

and cinematographer Johan-Fredrik Bødker.

Plot

Lars (

Nils Jørgen Kaalstad Nils Jørgen "Jøgge" Kaalstad (born 23 January 1979 in Bærum) is a Norwegian actor and musician who performs under the stage name Sideshow Jøgge. He is best known to international audiences as Dag Solstad from ''Lilyhammer'' and Arvid from '' ...

) is a 25-year-old man who is going nowhere in life. He is a

lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/ AED first a ...

in a swimming hall in the eastern parts of Oslo (characterized by its lower middle class population). He is well-meaning, but he has a violent temper - the result of an unhappy, abuse-ridden childhood. His best friend Jørgen (Edward Schultheiss) is transitioning to adult life with his live-partner, Anja (Marika Enstad) and their children, but Lars is still living the bachelor's life, consisting mostly of drinking beer and playing soccer. One day at a swimming pool, Lars recognizes Hans (

Henrik Mestad Henrik Mestad (born 22 June 1964) is a Norwegian stage, film, and television actor. He received the Hedda Award in 2011. Mestad was born in Oslo as a son of the politician Viking Mestad. He is educated at the Norwegian Theatre Academy and was h ...

), a middle-aged man with a reputation for "fiddling" with teenage boys in the neighborhood. Lars alerts Anja, the manager of the pool, that Hans is a menace who needs to be barred from the facilities. Anja says that Lars needs to get his life together and stop making uncorroborated accusations. When Lars meets Tim (

Mikkel Bratt Silset Mikkel Bratt Silset (born 1991) is a Norwegian theatre, television, and film actor from Oslo best known to international audiences for his role in the Netflix series ''Norsemen (TV series), Norsemen''. Life and career Silset began acting as a c ...

), one of Hans' victims, he resolves to prevent the predator from harming any more children.

Cast

as Lars *

as Tim * Edward Schultheiss as Jørgen *

as Hans *

Ingrid Bolsø Berdal Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (; born 2 March 1980) is a Norwegian actress. She started her career with the 2005 short film ''Limbo''. Her first leading role was in the Norwegian slasher film '' Cold Prey'', released in October 2006. She has since appear ...

as Norunn *

Anna Bache-Wiig Anna Bache-Wiig (born 19 September 1975) is a Norwegian actress and writer. She is best known for writing the screenplay for the film '' Utøya: July 22'' in collaboration with Siv Rajendram Eliassen. Early career Bache-Wiig was educated at the ...

as Heidi *

Ronnie Baraldsnes Ronnie may refer to: *Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album '' Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadium ...

as Nyhetsanker *

Christin Borge Christin is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Ann-Christin Ahlberg (born 1957), Swedish politician of the Social Democratic Party * Ann-Christin Nykvist (born 1948), Swedish Social Democratic politician *Christin Cooper (born 1 ...

as Dame i svømmehallen *

Terje Brevik Terje may refer to: * Terje (name), a form of the Scandinavian name Torgeir *Tria ( hu, Terje), a village in the commune of Derna, Bihor Derna ( hu, Felsőderna) is a commune in northeastern Bihor County, Crișana, Romania, 50 km from the ...

as Prostitute's client *

Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen Fredrik is a masculine Germanic given name derived from the German name '' Friedrich'' or Friederich, from the Old High German ''fridu'' meaning "peace" and ''rîhhi'' meaning "ruler" or "power". It is the common form of Frederick in Norway, Finlan ...

as Victim *

Marika Enstad Marika is a feminine given name of Polish, Greek, and Japanese origin. It has its origin in the Hungarian and Greek nickname for Maria, or its Silesian diminutive "Maryjka". Marieke is the Dutch and Flemish equivalent. Marika is also a Fijian giv ...

as Anja *

Henrik Fjelldal Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estonian), Heikk ...

as Roar *

Ane Hoel Ane or ane may refer to: * Āne, a village in Latvia * Ane, Netherlands, a village in Overijssel, Netherlands, also ** Battle of Ane (1227), a battle fought near the village * -ane, a suffix in organic chemistry, or specifically ** Alkanes, whic ...

as Studio expert *

Lars Erik Holter Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel". A homonymous Etruscan name was bo ...

as Man in Asker *

Jeppe Beck Laursen Jeppe Svend Aage Beck Laursen (1 June 1972) is a Norwegian actor and stuntman.S ...

as Prostitute's client (billed as Jeppe Laursen) *

Fredrik Norrman Fredrik is a masculine Germanic given name derived from the German name '' Friedrich'' or Friederich, from the Old High German ''fridu'' meaning "peace" and ''rîhhi'' meaning "ruler" or "power". It is the common form of Frederick in Norway, Finlan ...

as Torgeir *

Joachim Rafaelsen Joachim (; ''Yəhōyāqīm'', "he whom Yahweh has set up"; ; ) was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Biblical apocryphal ...

as Joakim

Reception

The film received highly positive reviews from Norwegian film critics. ''

Dagbladet ''Dagbladet'' (lit.: ''The Daily Magazine'') is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally ''Dagbladet'' is considered the main liberal newsp ...

s movie critic Inger Bentzrud gave the film a dice throw of 5 out of 6, writing (translated from Norwegian): "The hunt for the molester takes place in a thriller-like race against the police. But still the film leaves a large room for reflection by providing such a multi-dimensional picture of the relationship between the perpetrator and the abused boys. As a debut work this shows both courage and social commitment". On the webpages of TV 2, film critic Vibeke Johnsen gives the film 6 point (of 6 possible), and she wrote: "This is visionary and mainstream both at the same time. You are going to have to look around long for a film where script, direction, acting and credibility all click together as well. In other words, ''Sønner'' is a film you do not want to miss". ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' writes: "A hard-hitting and thoughtful drama about a young man's quest to expose a pedophile, ''Sons'' is an impressive first film by young Norwegian writer-director Erik Richter Strand .. Intense semi-thriller maintains interest without slipping into cliche, and has an ending both satisfying and unexpected". ''Sons'' had its international premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain; since then, it has been featured in more than 20 film festivals worldwide. Among its numerous trophies the film has won the

Fassbinder Award Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Fassbinder's main ...

Mannheim, Germany Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

, and The Grand Jury Award at the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

in the USA.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0473707, Sons 2000s Norwegian-language films 2006 films 2006 drama films Norwegian LGBT-related films Norwegian vigilante films