Funny Films of the North

Here’s the blurb that got me intrigued:

Are Nordic films really as melancholic, depressing, and humourless as rumour has it? Four Nordic film journals — Filmmagasinet Ekko from Denmark, Rushprint from Norway, Flm from Sweden and Episodi from Finland — have tasked themselves with finding the exceptions that showcase the cheerful and self-deprecating side to Nordic cinema.

Not that I ever suspected Nordic cinema of humourlessness. It took me a while to go through the whole collection. Truth to be told, most of these shorts are depressing and melancholic, except for a couple of positively sinister ones. As for “funny”... They are funny, but weird funny rather than hilarious funny. Cheerful they are not.

Swedish Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers is probably the best of the lot: both funny and funny funny.

Other delights include Swedish Elixir (that is, a magic formula to transform immigrants into true Swedes); Finnish animation The Irresistible Smile; and Danish Oscar-winning Election Night (which also could be found on Cinema 16: European Short Films collection).

1. Las Palmas by Johannes Nyholm (Sweden, 2011, 13 min)
2. No Sex Just Understand by Mariken Halle (Norway, 2011, 15 min)
3. Äiti ei enää keilaa (Mother Doesn’t Bowl Anymore) by Teemu Nikki (Finland, 2010, 10 min)
4. Slitage (Seeds of the Fall) by Patrik Eklund (Sweden, 2009, 18 min)
5. This Is Alaska by Mårten Nilsson and Gunilla Heilborn (Sweden, 2009, 10 min)
6. Space Monkeys by Jan Rahbek (Denmark, 2008, 8 min)
7. Sunday Mornings by Jannicke Låker (Norway, 2008, 9 min)
8. Naglinn (The Nail by Benedikt Erlingsson (Iceland, 2008, 16 min)
9. Sagan om den lille Dockpojken (The Tale of Little Puppetboy) by Johannes Nyholm (Sweden, 2008, 18 min)
10. Anna by Helena Stefánsdóttir (Iceland, 2007, 13 min)
11. Occupations by Lars von Trier (Denmark, 2007, 3 min)
12. Ilo irti (The Irresistible Smile) by Ami Lindholm (Finland, 2006, 6 min)
13. Järvi (The Lake) by Maarit Lalli (Finland, 2006, 9 min)
14. Elixir by Babak Najafi (Sweden, 2004, 26 min)
15. De beste går først (United We Stand) by Hans Petter Moland (Norway, 2002, 9 min)
16. Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers by Ola Simonsen and Johannes Stjärne Nilsson (Sweden, 2001, 10 min)
17. Døren som ikke smakk (Shut the Door) by Jens Lien (Norway, 2000, 10 min)
18. Valgaften (Election Night) by Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark, 1999, 11 min)
19. Pilot for En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron (A Pigeon Sat on a Branch - Reflecting on Existence) by Roy Andersson (Sweden, 2011, 8 min)