Introduction

How much weight do we place on a single person’s life? What sort of standards do we adhere to in conducting our daily lives? This heart-warming drama focuses on a timid woman who, in the process of facing a variety of difficult decisions, slowly begins to emerge from her shell. According to director Bent Hamer, “Man determines the definition of weight, but in my opinion it is equally important to understand what the definition of weight does to man.” Here, he delves deeper into the humorous side of people’s actions, a theme he first dealt with in the 2003 film Kitchen Stories. Using the pristine world of scientific standards as a metaphor, Hamer creates an atmosphere akin to the pure and simple beauty of Scandinavian design while injecting a warm sense of humor to ease the emotional tension. Hamer’s first female protagonist is played by the talented Norwegian actress Ane Dahl Torp.