The immigration experience is a subject that often dominates Scandinavian television and films. We are often shown poverty and violence; gang violence and police brutality. Rarely are we shown colour, love, food and family. Kaveh Tehrani’s Listen Up! (Hør her’a!) revels in making fun of the stereotypes and showing a more fleshed out reality. Based on Gulraiz Sharif’s young adult novel, the film offers a unique perspective on what it means to fit in.
Mahmoud (Ahmed Mohammed) opens the film with a straight-to-camera monologue. “Summer break … great for ethnic Norwegians, not so great for broke foreigners.” He reels off a number of stereotypes about what exactly immigrants want to do in their suburban tower blocks, noting how ridiculous racist online trolls are in amongst a lot of toilet humour. Mahmoud just wants to laze around and hang out with his friends for the next few weeks. But his Uncle Ji (Asim Chaudry) has just flown in from Pakistan and, with his parents both working, he is tasked with being his tour guide. But a secret from his younger brother, Ali (Liza Haider) threatens to dismantle the entire family unit.
One of the most exciting things about Listen Up! is its slightly saturated use of colour. Mahmoud’s family home is full of vibrant fuschias, burnt oranges and lime greens. His mother, Zabaida (Kriti Surjan Thepade) dresses in beautifully bright salwar kameez and her food is presented as an array of tomato reds, sunshine yellows and golden browns. It is a home that feels full of life, not your usual grey high rise. Throughout the film, there are often little animations on screen – usually in yellow – to emphasise what characters are really feeling or giving subtitles in other languages. It adds another level of playfulness to the film, underlining how young our central characters are.
There’s plenty of humour to be found in the first half of the film as well. Uncle Ji presents Mahmoud with an “Ermani” sweater whilst Ali gets a D&G cap with a Chanel logo on it. He marvels at the clean tarmac surrounding the apartment blocks and wonders, “Is there never a war here?” His marvelling at the Norwegian way of life, which Mahmoud isn’t over enamoured with, is child-like in its wonder. “They don’t let Pakistanis in anymore,” he tells his Uncle, “We don’t integrate.”
The cultural stereotypes are also treated – for the most part – with a light humour. Even the various immigrant mothers smacking their kids is seen as a bit of a joke. The imam at the mosque reminds all of the praying men that it is their religious duty to avert their gaze when Norwegians start stripping off for the summer. But when Ali’s secret is revealed, the stereotypes become harmful. Their father, Shahbaz (Manish Sharma) cares about what his community will think, both back in Pakistan and in Norway. His attitude is outdated, aggressive and cold.
The performances in Listen Up! are wonderful to watch, especially from the younger actors. Both Ahmed Mohammed and Liza Haider are tremendous. Neither of them can quite grasp how they are expected to stop being “other” within Norwegian society and their strong bond with each other is clear. Mohammed, in particular, carries the film with his monologues and knowing looks to camera. It is a vivacious performance that surely sets the young actor up for an interesting career. Kriti Surjan Thepade excels as the worn our Zabaida, who finally finds her voice when it comes to her demanding husband. She is like a lioness, protecting her kids from the cruelties of the outside world. Asim Chaudry starts off the film as pompous and a figure of silliness, only to emerge as the voice of reason and love for all the family to lean on.
There is quite a marked tonal shift in the film, as Ali’s storyline comes more the forefront. What begins as a film about being stuck in the suburbs for summer break soon becomes an exploration of identity and what it means to be “other”. It’s quite a striking change – the humour does virtually disappear – but it allows the characters to become even more fleshed out. We get to really understand the pressures of the immigrant experience and what it means to be torn about who you are.
With strong performances and lashings of colour and humour, Listen Up! (Hør her’a!) is a joy to watch. Despite dealing with difficult subject matter, it never loses its connection with its audience and will keep you engaged until the credits roll. A very interesting take on belonging, as seen through the eyes of two brothers.
Listen Up! (Hør her’a!) comes to Viaplay USA on December 12 and is available now on Viaplay UK