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A Somewhat Gentle Man
Original title En ganske snill mann
Alternate title Regnskap
Type Features
Genre Comedy
Director Hans Petter Moland
Short summary Ulrik is a somewhat gentel man. He has no special wishes and makes no demands. He does not give too much thought to what he does either. If he's given some food and a place to sleep, he will give people what they want in return. Whether this be a little affection or a killing.
Summary It's difficult to age with dignity - even for criminals. Ulrik has served a 12-year sentence for murder. Now he's out. He's in his 50´s. With no future, a family that doesn't want anything to do with him, no place to live and no job. Fortunately his old crew wants to help him. His gangster boss gets him an apartment and a job as a mechanic. The crew give him a potted plant. He is given a new start. Everyone wants to help him. Women come his way. But there's an old score that has to be settled. The man who squealed and sent him to jail has been found. Now he must die.

Ulrik is a somewhat gentle man. He has killed some people and crippled a few. But this sort of stuff is part of the job when working in the criminal world. Just like doing time in prison.

Now Ulrik is out again. Reluctantly… And Jensen is waiting on the outside. He’s a thug with professional pride. He takes care of his people and is concerned with keeping things in order. It is important for the boss that Ulrik settles his account by shooting the guy who ratted him out.

Ulrik is a somewhat gentle man. He has no special wishes and makes no demands. He does not give too much thought to what he does either. He just does it. If he’s given some food and a place to sleep, then he will give people what they want from him in return. Whether this be a little affection or a killing.

Then he looks up his son who has now become a grown man. A good man with an education, a girlfriend, and a future. But the son has a father who’s a murderer. His girlfriend doesn’t like it. Her family is not into stuff like that, they’re more into nurseries and plants. They have principles.

Ulrik is a somewhat gentle man – but how gentle can he be?



DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
We are born. We grow up. We lose our innocence. We do some stupid things. And then we die. As we near the end we try to regain some dignity before it's too late. We seldom succeed. But we try. And look pathetic while trying. Is that embarrassing? Yes, but it's quite embarrassing to be a human being. In an age of computer exactness, human error is the only thing messing up the order of things.

A Somwehat Gentle Man is a film about our painful shortcomings, a tributre to less than perfect sex, and a worldwide campaign against the people of petty exactness that rule the world.
Cast Stellan Skarsgård, Bjørn Floberg, Gard B. Eidsvold, Bjørn Sundquist, Jannike Kruse Jåtog, Kjersti Holmen, Jan Gunnar Røise, Aksel Hennie, Henrik Mestad, Jorunn Kjellsby, Jon Øigarden, Julia Bache Wiig, Anders Baasmo Christiansen
Screenplay Kim Fupz Aakeson
D.O.P Philip Øgaard
Editor Jens Christian Fodstad
Composer Halfdan E
Sound Gisle Tveito
Costume designer Caroline Sætre
Scenography Gert Wibe
Producer Finn Gjerdrum and Stein B. Kvae
Line producer Per Henry Borch
Production company Paradox AS
Tel: +47 23 22 71 50 | Fax: +47 23 22 71 51
Mail: firmapost@paradox.no
www.paradox.no
Country of origin Norway
Release date (national) 2010-03-19
Release date (international) 2010-02-15
Technical information
Format 35mm
Screen ratio 1:1,85
Colour Colour
Sound System Dolby SR
Length in min's 107
International sales TrustNordisk ApS
Filmbyen 12 | DK-2650 Hvidovre
Tel: +45 3686 8788 | Fax: +45 3677 4448
Mail: info@trustnordisk.com
www.trustnordisk.com
Distributor (Norway only) Nordisk Filmdistribusjon AS
Sandakervn. 188, Box 4884 Nydalen, N-0422 Oslo
Tel: +47 21 54 47 00 | Fax: +47 21 54 47 01
www.filmweb.no/nordiskfilm
Festival participation 2010 Berlin International Film Festival, Germany
  Competition
2010 Transilvania International Film Festival, Romania
2010 Sydney Film Festival, Australia
2010 Festroia International Film Festival, Portugal
2010 Seattle International Film Festival,USA
2010 Libertas Film Festival, Croatia
2010 Auckland & Wellington Film Festival, New Zealand
2010 Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia
2010 Sarajevo Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina
2010 Motovun Film Festival, Croatia
2010 Espoo Cine, Finland
2010 Helsinki International Film Festival, Finland
2010 Haifa International Film Festival, Israel
2010 Rio International Film Festival, Brazil
Prizes received 2010 Berlin International Film Festival, Germany: Berliner Morgenpost's Audience Award
2010 Festroia International Film Festival, Portugal: Best Actor to Stellan Skarsgård
2010 Festroia International Film Festival, Portugal: Best Director to Hans Petter Moland
2010 Festroia International Film Festival, Portugal: Best Film
2010 Festroia International Film Festival, Portugal: Best Screenplay to Kim Fupz Aakeson

 


 
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Director biography:
A film graduate from USA's Emerson College, Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland was awarded prizes for his commercials at all major festivals, including Cannes, before he made his feature debut in 1993 with The Last Lieutenant. He followed up with Zero Kelvin (1995), Aberdeen (1999), and Beautiful Country (2004), which was selected for Competition in Berlin. His latest feature film was Comrade Pedersen. He also directed the short film United We Stand, which has been awarded prizes at several major film festivals.

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