Sumita Sinha Middle-class kid with nice liberal parents, living in Oslo, takes drugs and gets free help to overcome addiction that but doesn't succeed- that really is the story. The only problem it would seem is an ex-girlfriend, if only she would talk to him, all would be well (because of course, you are so wrapped in yourself, the rest of the world doesn't matter). If you like that sort of thing and like peering into the screen (because it is so dark most of the time) to decipher what is going on, that is great. I was having hard time figuring out the continuity- it seemed morning then suddenly evening, then night then evening again- poor lighting and bad editing combined. Poor little rich kid also doesn't need to eat or even pee! There are much better Norwegian movies to watch- don't waste your time on this.

SnoopyStyle Anders is a 34 year old recovering drug addict in a rehab clinic. He's got 2 more weeks and isn't doing well. He's given leave to go to a job interview in downtown Oslo. He visits his friends Thomas and Rebecca. He and Thomas dig into their lives. The interview turns into a disaster when he admits to his drug past and he spirals out of control. He goes to meet his sister Nina but her friend shows up. Then he starts a night of drinking and parties ending in his darken room.It's small Norwegian film. It has a little too many quiet moments. The lead lacks a certain liveliness at the start. The movie takes too long to generate any power. The directing style is too quiet. It needs energy to match his growing anger and frustration. The overlaying of all the other people's conversations dilute his experience. There is power in his story. However the movie keeps looking away from him. I'm not sold on it. Then it turns into one of those all night party movies which again I'm not sold on as part of his life. I'd think that an addict would break as soon as he starts drinking again. The whole movie lacks that destructive energy that the character seems to imply.

clubmonstar This is probably one of the lighter films to touch on the perils of addiction. The main character has clearly been through his ups and downs, but this film touches on his rehabilitation and him working out ho he might work his way back into his relationships with friends and family.It is incredibly visceral, with a soundtrack that matches the echoey pace of the film. I loved the extensive dialogue with the first friend he makes contact with, which cleverly compares the 'lost soul' of the reformed addict with the general malaise of the modern married person.This film has a light touch but I felt myself gripped the whole way through.

bandw (Spoilers!) The story tracks one day in the life 34-year-old Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), ending on the date mentioned in the title. Anders is nearing the end of a drug detox program where he has been in attendance for several months. He has been given an evening leave to go for a job interview.We come to know a lot about Anders and his decision to end it all. On his evening leave, and before his job interview, he goes to see his old friend Thomas who is married with a child and is a professor of literature. The two sit on a park bench and have an intense conversation. It is from this scene that we see how depressed Anders is and realize that, even though Thomas clearly cares for him, there is no future for their returning to their old relationship. If an early scene of an attempted suicide does not warn us of what is on his mind, then Anders citing the quote, "If someone wants to destroy himself, society should allow him to do so," makes it pretty clear. In this conversation Anders wants Thomas to know that if he does commit suicide, then it will have been a willful decision and not simply a mistaken OD.Anders is fully committed to his depression, making statements like, "I am nothing." In his job interview for editorial assistant to a literary magazine, after holding his own intellectually he preempts the meeting before it is clear that a negative decision is forthcoming. It's almost like he is afraid that he might get the job. Ander's depression is so painfully real that I was left wondering if his depression caused his drug problem or if his drug problem caused his depression--probably a combination.In one scene Anders walks the streets of Oslo remembering, in a voice-over, his family life from the time he was growing up. This scene is particularly poignant, since we see that Anders came from a good family and was afforded financial and emotional support as a young person. There seems to be some truth in his remarking, "I'm a spoiled brat who f***** up. Nobody needs me."It's natural to root for Anders to turn the corner, but he thwarts hope at every turn. The woman he loved has moved to New York and, after several calls to her getting her answering machine and no callbacks, that hope is closed off. In a park Anders looks up at the sun coming through a tree, smiles and we think maybe an appreciation of nature will help, but I think Ander's apparent appreciation comes from his knowing that this is the last time he will have this bond with the natural world. His sister avoids an arranged meeting; his parents have had to sell their house in order to support him. So, family support has eroded. Near the end Anders sits down at the piano and plays some bars from a piano sonata. It's impressive to see that Anders Lie can actually play. He is good enough to fake being rusty. After giving a remote hope that maybe music can same him, when he encounters a difficult passage that frustrates him he abandons the piano.The film is tightly edited--there are no superfluous scenes; the story unfolds in a fluid way as we come to know and understand Anders. The beauty of the movie makes you come to see how Anders sees the world, and why he feels at a deep level that he can't go back, and nor can he go forward. After a suicide the first question anyone asks is why and usually there are no satisfactory answers, but, to its credit, this movie provides some answers in this particular case.