When I got Jesus with a slingshot ( Da jeg traff Jesus… med sprettert) is a charming coming of age tale from Norway. It feels very nostalgic and biographical at the same time as it is based on the memories of the famous Norwegian poet Odd Borresen.
The film is pleasant to watch – as it focuses on the experiences of a boy growing up in Mid’30s Norway . The tone is set from the very first scenes as the protagonist ( already grown up ) narrates the story of his youth :
“I believe that the day the clock on the wall stopped was the last day I lived in the world of my childhood.”
The protagonist himself is not indicated until the fifth minute when we see a boy sitting in the showers of his dad, watching the passing planes and thinking that he has the world of his childhood beneath him. That’s how the viewer is introduced to the little Oddeman (Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen), a bright young lad trying to make sense of the world and the words and actions of the older ones.
And as it usually happens while one of his brother’s friends dreams of growing up, Oddeman is willing to stay on his head in an attempt to prevent that same phenomenon. What follows next are some great scenes of the growing-up experience – including games in the fields, fear of the dark ( and noises from the attic ), and a winter expedition that nearly ends in disaster.
The film’s acting is quite acceptable – especially one of its young leads – Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen and Martin Eidissen. I would recommend “When I Got Jesus With a Slingshot” to everyone who would enjoy a trip back to his childhood. The tasteful humor in the film makes it a perfect flick for the whole family.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvceVI7HJ34
When I Got Jesus With a Slingshot was the Norwegian entry to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001.
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