Veteran Norwegian filmmaker Erik Poppe explains why he had to wait 25 years to make Beloved, based on Nobel-winning author Jon Fosse’s only original screenplay.
Twenty-five years ago, an emerging Norwegian filmmaker met an emerging Norwegian author and they hit it off, discussing a possible collaboration on the novelist’s first screenplay.
Now, that filmmaker, Erik Poppe, is one of Norway’s top directors,with more than 10 features under his belt, and the author, Jon Fosse, is an acclaimed Nobel Prize-winning writer. They never gave up on telling that story from 25 years ago - “a beautiful small piece about longing for love”, as Poppe says. The result is Beloved (Kjærast), which celebrated its world premiere in Haugesund this week and comes to Norwegian cinemas starting Sept 18.
The story follows a young couple, Asle and Gerd, who settle in a coastal town in Western Norway and raise a son, while navigating relationship tensions.
Poppe says he enjoyed the chance to “go close on the human being” and to explore “what happens between the dialogue, between the sentences, what’s going on in the silence”.
Speaking in the latest episode of the Nordic Film Talks podcast, he continues: “That’s the same subject that Jon has been trying to explore through all his dramatic pieces and his novels. So that's what we really share in common. This was a beautiful place to start.”
Fosse’s only original screenplay is not a typical relationship drama that shows the audience all ups and downs. Poppe says Fosse “is jumping over the arguments. He’s telling glimpses through the rest of the story…it’s told in a way that’s really fresh.”
Poppe, whose many credits include Bunch of Five (Schpaa); Hawaii, Oslo; The King’s Choice (Kongens nei, Oscar shortlisted); A Thousand Times Good Night (Tusen ganger god natt); Troubled Water (De usynlige); U-July 22 (Utøya 22. juli); The Emigrants (Utvandrarna); and Quisling: The Final Days (Quislings siste dager).
Finn Gjerdrum, Poppe’s longtime producer and his partner in their production company Paradox, produces, with SF Studios also on board. Funding comes from Nordisk Film & TV Fond (NFTVF), the Norwegian Film Institute, Zefyr Media Fund, and Film i Väst.; REinvent Yellow handles sales.
Poppe says of producer Gjerdrum: “He’s honest and he’s really delivering. He has been so good at supporting the original idea, and allowing us to challenge the way we tell our stories. He knows things take time, he’s been supporting me all the way.”
Poppe was drawn to a simple story like this even more as he matured - noting the “cynical…reality we are served from when we wake up in the morning and turn on the radio, and read social media, and through films and literature in general, we’re living in a hard time. It seems like that is affecting the filmmakers as well. So I longed to explore a story…of people living their lives. They struggle with their small domestic subjects, the relationships.”
He points to other recent films that are about friendships and relationships, like Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s The Eight Mountains (Le otto montagne) and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin. With Fosse’s Nobel coming in 2023, Poppe knew it was time to revive the project. “This is what the world needs. This is the story I would love someone to serve me.”
Poppe cast two actors he admired in theatre, Leo Magnus de la Nuez and Kristi-Helene Giæver Engeberg, as his leads. “I've followed them both for a long time, as they are the really upcoming stars in the theatre around in Norway. I take down these names in my little book. I was longing to see how I could work with Leo for a long time. I was terrified somebody else would discover this guy before I did (laughs). The same with Kristi-Helene.”
He adds, “To combine established names with these enormous talents, I think is part of my duty. There's sort of a freshness, even for the domestic audience, to see a story with new faces. I think 100% we’ll see a lot of films with both Leo and Kristi-Helene in the next few years.”
In the full podcast episode, Poppe also talks about the state of Norwegian film financing; how he wanted to shoot the scenic landscapes of coastal Western Norway; and why the festival at Haugesund feels like a homecoming to him.
Listen to the full episode here:
All Nordic Film Talks episodes are available on NFTVF’s website in the Industry Insights section (CLICK HERE), and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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