This extremely absurd and overexaggerated Norwegian comedy delivers some laughs, but at the same time causes that, due to these risks it takes or forcing jokes, the humour does not always land well. There are also some unreasonable choices when it comes to the story, but it cannot be denied that it manages that we get to care for the main character.

In a small Norwegian island, a guy by the name of Johan tries to live a calmed life but, due to his passion passed on to him by his late parents, he is just cast aside by the community and labelled a weirdo. His passion: explosives. Only her sweet neighbour Solvor accepts him… at least until she gets blown up.

The first thing that can be perceived from the film (even from the synopsis in the lines above) is its high-level of absurdism. The presence of absurd and dark humour will be a constant all throughout the film, although deeming down as we approach the end in favour of increased sentimentalism. The issue with that sort of humour it is obviously that you narrow your possibilities of success a bit, as it becomes rather exclusive and personal to the taste of presumably the director (Hallvar Witzø) and the writer (Erlend Loe). In any case, the film surely manages to get some laughs.

This over-the-top theatricality is especially visible in the look of the film itself, in particular the make-up and costume design. The choices made are obviously looking to make the movie quite distinct and special with cartoonish facial hair, singular clothes, or even a horse that gets old just as a human being would.

Nevertheless, the most disputable element of the picture is not its sense of humour but rather the love story that drives the plot forward. The initially sweet relationship between Johan and Solvor, especially when they are kids, will become rapidly sour and way less believable as they grow older and especially after the tragedy that becomes the turning point of the story. For such reason, together with the arrival of a third character that completes the love triangle and that quickly becomes way more worth it for our now adult Johan, played splendidly by Pål Sverre Hagen, instead of the bitter Solvor (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) makes particularly frustrating that Johan still has her in mind.

One last element worth mentioning is the certainly peculiar score from Jørund Fluge Samuelsen. Its strident sound contrasts radically with the calmed landscapes of the Norwegian island but considering the quirkiness of the film gets to fit the overall result very well.

All in all, this is clearly a movie that is not made for everyone. Its ridiculousness and insanity will scare away many members of the audience, nonetheless if you sit to see it with an open mind you will get to enjoy at the very least a bit of its foolishness. Equally, the performance of Sverre Hagen and strange charm of Johan will make you care, feel and root for him.