Eggs
Bent Hamer
When Konrad arrives at a small isolated house in the Norwegian countryside to stay with Moe and Pa, the two elderly brothers realise that three is indeed a crowd.
Their peaceful universe is jeopardised by the newcomer in Eggs, Norwegian director Bent Hamer's first feature, screening in competition. Moscow was just one of 16 festival invitations the film received after unspooling in Directors' Fortnight at Cannes.
Teaming up with cinematographer Erik Poppe and producer Finn Gjerdrum, both involved in Hamer's award-winning short, Applaus (Applause), he shot his low-budget debut almost entirely in interiors. 'I wanted all the rooms in the house to have their special importance, including the cellar,' he said.
His original screenplay is the story of the brothers, now in their mid-70s, who have always lived together in the same house, except when during the Second World War one of them - Pa - made a weekend trip to Sweden on his moped. The event was never discussed between them.
The past returns, however, when they are informed that Konrad - Pa's adult son, dating from his Swedish visit - will come to live with them, as his mother has fallen ill. All dressed in yellow, Konrad turns up in a wheelchair, with a large box of birds' eggs as his only luggage.
'The real challenge of Eggs was the low budget - NOK4.5 million - restricting us to few actors, few locations, a small crew and a short shooting schedule. Yet the limitations ended up offering us artistic opportunities which we had not expected,' said Gjerdrum of his first feature film production.
Jorn Rossing Jensen
Prod co: BulBul Film
Prod: Finn Gjerdrum
Scr/Dir: Bent Hamer
Ph: Erik Poppe
Ed: Skafti Gudmundsson Set
des: Jack Von Domburg
Mus: The Flesh Quartet
Cast: Sverre Hansen, Kjell Stormoen, Leif Andrée
Running time: 86 mins
International sales: Christa Saredi World Sales
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