my takeaways: max manus

This weekend I had the pleasure of viewing the historical war film Max Manus, which is screening at St Anthony until Thursday this week.  This Norwegian movie tells the story of World War II resistance fighter Max Manus, who sabotaged war boats and issued propaganda to fight Nazi occupation in his home country.  It's a well done thriller that received enough attention during last spring's MSPIFF to warrant a two-week run this fall, courtesy MN Film Arts.  While this isn't a full review of the movie, here are just some initial thoughts that have stuck in my mind since my initial viewing (there are spoilers in here, so if you know you're going to watch the movie you should come back to this post afterwards):

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•The First 90% Of The Movie Is A Prelude To The Last 10%
For the most part Max Manus is a well-executed action film -- We’ve got oppressed citizens fighting everyone’s favorite baddies in the Nazis, and history repeats itself for all to enjoy.  The Nazis have lost and left Norway, but the movie plays on.  How does are hero enjoy the life of decorated veteran?  He drinks his lonely self into oblivion.  He wallows in pity, guilt and scotch with the ghosts of his friends, all victims in the Nazis relentless pursuit of Norway’s most dangerous terrorist.  His reward for returning freedom to his country is the opportunity to protect his king during a ticker-tape parade, while Norwegian flags are mockingly waved in his face.  Considering America’s current difficulty in returning soldiers to normalcy after serving in the armed services, the film’s conclusion comes off as a stinging criticism toward allied forces’ handling of depression and PTSD in military personal.



•Camera Tricks

One sequence that’s stuck in my mind takes place during an escape scene in which Manus and his men are running through the streets with Nazis hot on their heels.  The camera is focused on Manus running through the streets when it cuts to the reverse shot.  Now we’re behind Manus running into the intersection where he gets gunned down and run over.  Only as the camera cuts back to its previous angle we see Manus is still standing in the sidewalk where we last saw him on.  It turns out that the murder both the audience and Manus witnessed was actually the death of another accomplice in their plot.  That sly camera tricked us all into believing we just saw Manus murdered.  Is that also what Max Manus saw?  Did he see his own death before him?  Is that what he wanted to see?  Whatever the case, this pivotal scene was a turning point in the title character’s mental state.  His obsession about the role his actions play in the countless deaths of his friends around him slowly eat away at his emotional stability throughout the remainder of the film.

•Terrorism in World War II And The Current War On Terror
If the Nazis are fighting Norwegian terrorists in World War II, then what does that make America in the middle east?  (Everyone else is making Nazi comparisons these days, why can’t movies.)  While the entirety of his intentions aren’t explicit, German Siegfried Fehmer makes his case for Nazi occupation as a way of bringing peace and stability to Norway, a country he loves enough to desire planting roots there.  In addition to that jab directed toward our own country’s foreign policies, there are references to the power of journalism and propaganda as a tool to drum up support or, more importantly in our current context, willfully ignore the other side of the story.

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You can find showtimes for Max Manus here.