Elling - 2001

When his mother, who has sheltered him his entire 40 years, dies, Elling, a sensitive, would-be poet, is sent to live in a state institution. There he meets Kjell Bjarne, a gentle giant and female-obsessed virgin in his 40s. After two years, the men are released and provided with a state-funded apartment and stipend with the hope they will be able to live on their own. Initially, the simple act of going around the corner for groceries is a challenge. Through a friendship born of desperate dependence, the skittish Elling and the boisterous, would-be lover of women, Kjell Bjarne, discover they can not only survive on the outside, they can thrive. But as their courage grows, the two find oddball ways to cope with society, striking up the most peculiar friendships in the most unlikely places.

The plot is less important than the relationship between the two men, which is frequently very moving (such as the scene when they discover that, although the flat has two bedrooms, they'd still rather share with each other as before) and very funny - Elling’s attempts to use the phone and their eventual method of ‘practice’ are a definite highlight.

There's an awful lot to enjoy here, with some hilarious scenes, perhaps the funniest of which is an outburst at the Poetry Night that Elling plucks up the courage to attend. Also, budding unpublished poets may want to take note of Elling’s unorthodox but effective method of self-publishing…

To sum up, Elling is an enjoyable, moving and frequently funny film that deserves to find as wide an audience as possible. Highly recommended.