Herman (1990)

	Directed by: Erik Gustavson	COUNTRY Norway GENRE Drama INTERNATIONAL TITLE Herman RUNNING TIME 99 minutes
	Produced by: Petter J. Borgli
	Written by (based on his novel): Lars Saabye Christensen

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Herman	Anders Danielsen Lie
Mor	Elisabeth Sand	½
Far	Bjørn Floberg	½
Ruby	Linn Aronsen
Jacobsen Jr.	Kai Remlow
Fru Jacobsen	Sossen Krogh
Panten	Jarl Kulle	½
Tjukken	Harald Heide Steen Jr.	½
Bestefar	Frank Robert
Tønne	Per Jansen	½
Doktor	Sverre Bentzen
Zorro	Øivind Blunck
Vaskekona	Kjersti Holmen
Sykepleier	Anne Marit Jacobsen
Raggen	Torfinn Nag

Review

This mild-mannered, good-hearted film was Norway's nominee for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1991 Academy Awards. It's about an 11-year-old boy in early 1960s Oslo who, in addition to having problems fitting in socially, has to deal with the news that he has been diagnosed with alopecia areata – a condition that makes his hair fall off.

Director Erik Gustavson approaches the story in a quiet, unflashy manner. It's nice to see how, although Herman isn't the most typical boy, there actually isn't much polarity about him. That he is perceived as an odd-body is largely because he is being misunderstood and cornered. His condition underlines this for us, but that's not what brings the situation on. To subtly catch this distinction and portray the essence of Herman not through remarkable events, but rather through his inability to express himself, his insecurity, and his search for an identity, is an achievement not to be underestimated. In this respect, Herman has qualities reminiscent of Lucas.

Gustavson also gives us a vivid recreation of contemporary Oslo – perhaps the best of its kind from this era. The many characters Herman encounters all represent a part of a culture that today is partly or completely lost, such as Tjukken, the barber; Jacobsen Jr, the grocery store owner; or Tønne, the teacher. These and other characters accentuate how much a small European capital has changed during the past decades. They are representatives of social groups that our subsequent wealth has transformed, if not removed entirely.

Even though they range from brilliant to somewhat lacking, the performances in Herman are among the best of its time in Norwegian cinema. Only Frank Robert's work as the grandfather has that artificial quality that dominated Norwegian films in the 1970s and 1980s. Anders Danielsen Lie is industrious and believable in the title role, whereas most of the numerous cameo performances are satisfactory (Per Jansen, Harald Heide Steen Jr. and Jarl Kulle have fun with their parts). Still, the most heartfelt and genuine moments in Herman come in the scenes between Danielsen Lie and the impressive Bjørn Floberg, who absolutely shines in a handful of scenes as the father. These are the moments in which Herman finds a special note, moments that give the film added quality. The fact that these everyday segments are the ones that function the best also illustrates that, if the film lacks anything, it's an edge in the narrative. Still, Herman remains one of the most pleasant and poignant Norwegian films of its era, and the beautiful final scene is the testimony in that respect.

Quotes

Far (Floberg): "Har'u lyst til å væ'med opp i krana en dag'a, Herman? Kan se helt til Amerika, vet du... Ja, altså ikke helt til Amerika da, men kan se til Nakkholmen."