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 Kitchen
Stories
Starring: Tomas Norstrom and Joachim Calmeyer
Directed by: Brent Hamer
Bluntly
speaking? Kitchen Stories is beautiful to look
at, drolly acted, but still ultimately a tad dull.
Kitchen
Stories is a nonchalant look at a relationship between a couple
of men, who could represent nations, set within a shapely stark
climate. The premise revolves around a silly efficiency experiment
one could imagine storyteller Tim Burton creating to entertain
children by the fire - less all the fantastical art, creepy ghouly
bits, and that flare for hidden humor.
Story
goes…The government wants to make life efficient for their
people. They figure by observing men in their kitchens (they've
already done women) they can streamline the appliances, do away
with the unnecessary extra movements one incurs when the fridge
is two feet askew, and thusly shave hours off in wasted physical
exertion a year for the lucky patriots. They have a core group
of observers that will spend a few months in a kitchen, perched
atop a tall chair. These observers are forbidden from interacting
with the subjects on any level for fear it will alter the exact
results.
Go
with it.
The
film's spotlight "observer," Folke (Tomas Norstrom),
is given an ornery fellow to watch. His "subject" Isak
(Joachim Calmeyer), is only doing the study to get a horse. Isak's
none too keen on this stranger watching and scribbling in his
book. So Isak goes out of his way to subtly mock the experiment
and befuddle its observer.
But
loneliness and human nature commingle and the inevitable results.
The two quiet men start to break the rules, interact, and enjoy
each other's company to the dismay of those around them. They
do the forbidden - communicate. The observer Folke is a foreigner
to the subject Isak and the two break bread and share traditional
interests, which leads to coffee, which leads to laughter. The
shock. Their camaraderie is a subtle social commentary on communication
sunken beneath the character's seemingly mundane interaction.
If we just learn to talk and share we can cohabitate, micro-globally
and so forth.
Slow
films can be wonderful, stark artful setting a joy. Kitchen
Stories, for me, took too long to let us in on its point and
the "humor" too dry. Sahara dry. And the film holds
some distinct beauty to it; the cinematography and direction are
superbly done, the framing always artistical and freeze-frame
mini-portraits, its actors comfortable and precise in their roles.
In fact the film is so real at times, it's as if you've stepped
into the frames and you're squatting to watch the scenes just
off camera.
Snack
recommendation: Holiday herring mit cafe und brot
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