Tatt av kvinnen (2007)

	Directed by: Petter Næss	COUNTRY Norway GENRE Drama/Comedy INTERNATIONAL TITLE Gone With the Woman RUNNING TIME 90 minutes
	Produced by: Olav Øen
	Written by (based on the novel by Erlend Loe): Johan Bogaeus Petter Næss

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Ham	Trond Fausa Aurvaag
Marianne	Marian Saastad Ottesen	½
Tor	Henrik Mestad
Glenn	Peter Stormare	½
Oberst Kalle	Sten Ljunggren	½
Marianne 2	Therese Brunnander	½
Mirlinda	Louise Monot	½
Halfred	Ingar Helge Gimle	½
Lollik	Trude Bjercke Strøm

Review

Erlend Loe's trademark idiosyncratic characters are both a blessing and a curse for this adaptation of his debut novel, Tatt av kvinnen, from 1993. Through his authorship, the popular Norwegian writer has created a distinct style which has amused and annoyed readers with the naïve and minimalistic nature of his characters. In Tatt av kvinnen, director Petter Næss and stars Trond Fausa Aurvåg and Marian Saastad Ottesen all embrace this nature unconditionally, and as is often the case in Loe's worlds, quite a few curious and witty situations and reactions come out of it. Some of these will be recognizable, while others won't – but when the humour and quirkiness have settled, these people come off as rather ridiculous creatures. They have no everyday quality, no way of releasing themselves from Loe's conceptual straitjacket. It's obvious he doesn't understand women, which is basically the whole point, but it's a pity that this lack of understanding also leads to a film about a non-existing, caricatured woman.

What brings Tatt av kvinnen to life is Petter Næss' vision and skill as a director. The film combines appealing visuals with a playful rhythm. There are several segments in which Næss' cinematic flair saves otherwise flat and insignificant moments that are meant to contain some sharp insights or thoughts on life. How effective these are ranges from one extreme to another. One that most definitely doesn't work is the Peter Stormare character. Glenn is a plot element, not a person, apparently existing only in the realm of a highly contrived sauna milieu – and the horrible fusion of Norwegian and Swedish only intensifies the problem. Even the countless Swedish waiters working in Oslo realise that it's better to keep their original accent.

Tatt av kvinnen is at its best when operating freely and balancing between the surreal and the mundane with well-aimed irony. Until we give up on the Marianne character, it does indeed capture moments of truth about the notorious relationship between man and woman. Unfortunately, our protagonist needs a painful amount of time to come to the same conclusion as we do. Tatt av kvinnen might only have needed a few different choices to leave a completely different impression, one of which could have been to replace Marian Saastad Ottesen.