The Men's Room (film) explained

The Men's Room
Native Name:
Director:Petter Sommer
Jo Vemund Svendsen
Producer:Fuglene AS
Starring:Ivar Krogh Hovd
Mannskoret
Gunnar Martinsen
Svein Bjørge
Geir Schau
Knut Akselsen
Prepple Houmb
Ivar Nergaard
Music:Martin Horntveth
Editing:Petter Sommer
Jo Vemund Svendsen
Distributor:Wide House (FR)
Runtime:74 minutes
Country:Norway
Language:Norwegian

The Men's Room (no|For vi er gutta|Because we're the guys) is a 2018 Norwegian documentary film written and directed by Peter Sommer and Jo Vemund Svendson. It concerns 25 Norwegian men in a men's choir rehearsing for their biggest event ever: warming up for Black Sabbath in front of 10,000 people. However, backstage issues arise as Ivar, the conductor, is terminally ill and may not survive to witness the concert.

The film has won international awards after its release. The international premiere was at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen 24 March 2019 where it won the NORDIC:DOX AWARD for best Nordic documentary film.

The Norwegian title is "For vi er gutta" (Because we're the guys) and is distributed through Norsk Film Distribusjon. In Denmark, the film had its theatrical release on 17 October 2019 under the name "Mandskoret" (The men's choir) and is distributed by Camera film.[1]

Production

The documentary format used is a mixture of interviews and "fly on the wall" coverage that includes a number of musical recitations. The focus is on the choir members themselves and does not delve too deeply into their private family life.[2] [3]

Critical reception

In her review for Norwegian film magazine Kinomagasinest, Torunn Sala gave The Men's Room five stars from six, praising the direction and production as natural, unobtrusive and successfully capturing compassion and humour.[2] Meredith Taylor, reviewing for Filmuphoria, praised the lack of sentimentality, the quiet humour and emotional expression. She commented that the film:" ... glows with a low key charm so redolent of its North European origins ... ".[4] Clare Martin of Radio 13 New Zealand praised the film's naturalism while desiring a more detailed conclusion. She noted that: " ... Without needing to add in quirky camera angles or extreme close-ups, there is clarity and storytelling in every frame...".[3]

Awards and nominations

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mandskoret. Scope. en. 2019-10-22. 2019-10-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016044913/http://www.scope.dk/film/11793-mandskoret. live.
  2. Web site: Anmeldelse: For vi er gutta – KM. 2020-09-30. 2019-03-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20190331034703/http://www.kinomagasinet.no/artikkel/anmeldelse-for-vi-er-gutta/. dead.
  3. Web site: Film Review: The Men's Room (Norway) 2018. www.radio13.co.nz. 2020-09-30. 2020-02-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20200201185029/https://radio13.co.nz/articles/film-review-the-mens-room-norway-2018/. live.
  4. Web site: The Men's Room (2018) **** Krakow Film Festival 2019. May 27, 2019. September 30, 2020. September 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200930202258/https://filmuforia.co.uk/the-mens-room-2018/. live.
  5. Web site: Gala closing ceremony of the 10th anniversary Odesa International Film Festival News. en. oiff.com.ua. 2019-09-29. 2019-07-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20190724202011/https://oiff.com.ua/en/festival/news/oiff-2019-closing-ceremony.html. dead.
  6. Web site: 41 MIFF Prizes. moscowfilmfestival.ru. 2019-09-29. 2019-04-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20190427195635/http://moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff41/eng/theme/?id=183. live.
  7. Web site: The winners of CPH:DOX 2019 are.... 2019-03-29. en-US. CPH:DOX. 2019-09-29. 2019-03-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20190330221327/https://cphdox.dk/en/and-the-winners-of-cphdox-2019-are/. dead.
  8. Web site: The Dying Swan: The Intimate Portrait of a Ballerina Dominates the Golden Prague Awards. 2019-09-29. en. The Golden Prague Awards. 2019-09-29. 2019-09-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20190929103146/https://zlatapraha.ceskatelevize.cz/en/dying-swan-intimate-portrait-ballerina-dominates-golden-prague-awards. live.
  9. Web site: "For vi er gutta" fikk prisen for beste dokumentar på BIFF. Rushprint. nb-NO. 2019-09-29. 2019-09-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20190929103150/https://rushprint.no/rushes/for-vi-er-gutta-fikk-prisen-for-beste-dokumentar-pa-biff/. dead.
  10. Web site: Awards of 59th Krakow Film Festival – 59th Krakow Film Festival. en-US. 2019-09-29. 2019-08-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20190811203201/https://www.krakowfilmfestival.pl/en/awards-of-59th-krakow-film-festival/. dead.
  11. Web site: Den Norske Dokumentarfilmfestivalen. nb. www.facebook.com. 2019-09-29. 2020-09-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20200930202312/https://www.facebook.com/dokfilm/photos/a.2468381206514894/2468388973180784/?type=3. live.
  12. Web site: Prisvinnerne i 2019!. 2019-05-12. nb-NO. Nordic/Docs. 2019-09-29. 2019-06-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20190602143643/https://www.nordicdocs.no/prisvinnerne-i-2019/. dead.
  13. Web site: Årets prisvinnere på HUMAN idff. 2019-03-02. nb-NO. humanfilm.no. 2019-09-29. 2019-04-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20190430085602/https://humanfilm.no/arets-prisvinnere-pa-human-idff/. dead.
  14. Web site: Amandanominasjonene 2019. filmfestivalen.no. 2019-06-19. 2019-09-29. 2019-05-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20190525101845/https://filmfestivalen.no/amanda-2/amandanominasjonene-2019/. dead.

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