Glasgow Film Festival kicks off from the 2nd March and this year sees the festival delighted to be back rolling out the red carpet for an in-person event.
In 2021, the festival was held in January and everything was digital; we were excited to get the opportunity to see some of the Nordic films featured back then, including Shorta, Wildland, Riders of Justice, and documentary Big vs Small. All absolutely incredible films which we went on to cover over the course of the year.
So what is coming to Glasgow this year? Well we’ve picked out our Nordic favourites to add to our watchlist if you get the opportunity to get up to festival, giving you the days the films will be showing locally during the festival.
Wild Men | Dir: Thomas Daneskov
There are two films that are going to catch you off guard – Wild Men being the first. We saw this last year and were devastated when the film had to have its premiere delayed after it coincided with an attack in Norway. Months later the film is back on track to be released and it really is one to watch out for.
Perhaps don’t be fooled by thinking this is a comedy as it is labelled, without doubt there is an enormous amount of humour (and some really perfect dry Nordic humour too) but it is also met with some pretty brutal scenes of violence too.
Its lead Rasmus Berg is absolutely brilliant as Martin, a man who in his midlife crisis decides to try becoming a Norseman and live in the mountains. When his path crosses with Musa (Zaki Youseef) his midlife crisis becomes the least of his worries. There are some brilliant cameos throughout the movie and the scenery (as you can see from the image below) is stunning!
Wild Men screens at Glasgow Film Theatre on Friday 11 March and Saturday 12 March 2022
The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic | Dir: Teemu Nikku
The next film which is going to completely take you by surprise is Teemu Nikku’s The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic. The less you know about this film, the better the experience.
And we want to emphasise the fact that this is truly an experience – one that is seen and felt through the eyes of its lead Petri Poikolainen who, like his extremely engaging character Jaako in the film, lost his sight and suffering from MS in real life.
Follow the very up close and personal story of film fan Jaako as he navigates everyday life with his disabilities, wrestling with his independence, pursuing love, and getting into trouble. It’s uncomfortable to watch, heart-breaking, but also wildly funny at times and will leave a strong impression on you we’re sure.
The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic screens at Cineworld Renfrew Street on Thursday 3 March and Saturday 12 March 2022
a-ha: The Movie | Dir: Thomas Robsahm & Aslaug Holm
If you’re after a great documentary fix then try Thomas Robsahm and Aslaug Holm’s aha: The Movie, which takes us back in time to when the band got together and created one of the biggest ever bands in Norway.
The documentary focuses on the trio and how they achieved one of their greatest dreams – but with every dream, it comes at a cost and the film catches up with them in the modern day where they still tour together.
aha: The Movie screens at Glasgow Film Theatre on Friday 4 March and Saturday 5 March 2022
The Gravediggers Wife | Dir: Khadar Ayderus Ahmed
This beautiful film is certainly something different and a must-see, in our opinion. A fascinating story of a man whose wife is dreadfully ill and needs an operation to cure her, but the problem is he hasn’t got the money for it and his job as a grave digger is not paying enough as not enough people are dying.
Finnish-Somali writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed has crafted a beautiful love story with the most engaging of characters. It picked up a lot of love last year on the festival circuit and we hope it gets a wider release this year!
The Gravedigger’s Wife screens at Cineworld Renfrew Street on Friday 4 March and Saturday 5 March 2022
Tigers | Dir: Ronnie Sandahl
We first heard about Tigers back in 2020 when we were talking to Swedish actress Liv Mjones (Stockholm Requiem) and finally two years later the film is getting a UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival.
The movie was shortlisted for the Academy Awards but lost out in what is arguably one of the strongest international competitions in some time. In the film we follow the early life of Martin Bengtsson (played here by Erik Enge), a famous Swedish footballer as he starts to play for Inter Milan at a young age. The film portrays the teenager’s gruelling journey to make his dreams come true.
Tigers screens at Glasgow Film Theatre on Friday 11th March and Saturday 12th March 2022
The Worst Person in the World | Dir: Joachim Trier
With the movie being released later this month this is a great opportunity to get to see it a little earlier – but do we really need to tell you to see it?
We think the world has already spoken for us but we can confirm this is wonderful feature with an absolutely spellbinding performance from Renate Reinsve. If you are a fan of Joachim Trier’s previous films that form part of this Oslo trilogy (Reprise and Oslo, August 31st) you are in for a treat – if you haven’t caught those movies yet then seek them out before you see this to complete the experience (though it is worth nothing the films are not connected but more part of this universe Joachim Trier creates from the beautiful city of Oslo).
Check our our interview with one its stars Herbert Nordrum (picture below) – HERE
The Worst Person In the World screens at Glasgow Film Theatre on Friday 4 March and Saturday 5 March 2022
Find out what else is happening at Glasgow Film Festival by following the link here: https://glasgowfilm.org/
Feature by Alex Minnis
