A HUMAN POSITION

Set in the picturesque Norwegian town of Alesund, on a fjord surrounded by mountains, Anders Emblem’s sophomore feature centres on two young women living in quiet togetherness. Live (Maria Agwamaru) fixes vintage chairs, while Asta (Amalie Ibsen Jensen) is a reporter at the local newspaper, covering everything from football to political demonstrations. She is also afflicted with a sadness that is only gradually explained; Live waits loyally for her to smile again, never pushing or demanding. Then a story emerges - of an asylum-seeker being sent home after working ten years at the local fish factory – that re-awakens Asta’s sense of purpose. She knocks on officials’ doors; she insists on answers; she won’t hear no. This work will gradually redeem her, swivelling her focus outwards – slowly and subtly rather than by leaps of plot, which is the way Emblem works. His scope is narrow, but he goes in deep.