The Sunlit Night

There is roughly a two month stretch in late summer when the sun never fully sets on The Lofoten Islands of northern Norway. To visitors, this can be most disorienting. As it was for Frances, the character brilliantly brought to life by Jenny Slate (excellent also in 2014's underrecognized "Obvious Child") in the enchanting new dramedy "The Sunlit Night".

I was particularly drawn to this unusual tale of a New York painter (Slate) who accepts a job assisting an iconic but fading Norwegian artist attempting to resuscitate his career by painting a barn yellow (I said it was unusual). My dear dad is Norwegian-born and has been to The Lofotens many times.

As Frances journeys through this Scandinavian Odyssey by the sea she encounters a tourist village of modern-day Vikings (Zac Galifianakis is hilarious as a horde leader), a nude portrait model she recruits from a local grocery store and a young guy/love interest in the throes of family turmoil. That's a lot to process, no matter where you are. And it all manages to come together in a most delicious smorgasbord (I know, I know, that's Swedish) of stunning scenery, simulated swordplay and self-discovery.

The only thing missing was the lutefisk. But then again, to most not indigenous to "The Land of The Midnight Sun", that's a good thing.

Tuller Norge! Uff da!

This movie was beautiful, and Slate certainly delivered a great performance of a messy, figuring-out-life artist who makes a bold move. But the relationship they introduced, which could have been left as a wonderful stranger dynamic, totally took away from story. It felt abrupt and unnecessary, and it diminished the very real characters they had established fairly well in the first half of the film.

Reading during the post-film credits that the film was based on a novel, I was not surprised. It had that feeling of abbreviation, i.e., that the various elements of the story were taken from the novel and thrown together to make a cohesive film. I enjoyed the film a lot, however, I think there could have been both more, and less. More in terms of a deepening of the relationship between the main character, Fran, and Yakov, the guy who winds up being in the same remote location in Northern Norway. Less in terms of the whole Viking piece in which Zach G. is an American playing at being a Viking King or some such thing. Then there was Fran's relationship with the painter she worked for which was not developed, and then the model who sat for her. The film was perhaps too short. But as I've said, I liked it a lot. I like Jenny Slate, and the scenery was quite spectacular.

It's how a painter grow up via the journey of herself from her home to a new place. The romance part is not strong but the way of how a painter become recognize is more the focus of the story. It's quite comfortable when watching indeed. Nothing huge but just cozy.

A simple story enlivened with humor and pathos. Excellent cast. Jenny Slate deserves more roles like this. Understated and thoughtful. Zack G's comic role is probably unnecessary but does deliver some nice laughs. Enjoyable and engaging.