Åpen framtid

With a great soundtrack and the talented cinematographer Philip Øgaard onboard, Wam & Vennerød's "Åpen framtid" takes you vividly back to the late 1960s (with a little hint of the early 1980s), when the Norwegian boomer generation were disillusioned youths influenced by Mao, rock music, hashish, and the sexual revolution. In the opening segments, the film takes us through some harrowing flashbacks that visualize our protagonist Pål's frustrations with a school system that has failed him, after which the filmmakers try to tap into the aforementioned 1960s zeitgeist with varying levels of success. The story moves predictably and rarely with much flow, but Pål and his friend Erik are fairly interesting characters and surprisingly good company to spend a couple of hours with. Thomas Robsahm gives arguably his best performance here, and Are Sjaastad is fine opposite him. The supporting roles are populated by several Wam & Vennerød regulars.