The Art of Negative Thinking
Encyclopedia
The Art of Negative Thinking (Norwegian
: Kunsten å tenke negativt) is a 2006 Norwegian black comedy
film directed and written by Bård Breien
. The storyline revolves around a man (played by Fridtjov Såheim) who is adjusting to life in a wheelchair
, and the socializing group he is made to join. The film was Breien's directorial debut. It was produced by Dag Alveberg for the production company Maipo film- og TV-produksjon. The Art of Negative Thinking was successful both domestically and internationally, with sales of 35,000 tickets in its Norwegian theater run and the highest-gross in Germany for any Nordic film during 2008. Reviews were mostly positive and the film won multiple international awards.
. He tells his loving and devoted wife, Ingvild, how terrible his life is and is drenched in bitterness, spending his time drinking booze, smoking marijuana, and watching films based on the Vietnam War
.
In an attempt to get her husband to look more favorably on his life and to save their marriage, Ingvild signs Geirr up for a positivity group meeting. All the members of the group have different disabilities, and with the help of an enthusiastic group leader Tori (who has no disability) they are forbidden to say anything negative and encourage each other to see things more positively. The group includes Marta, who is a quadriplegic as a result of a climbing accident; Gard, Marta's self-absorbed boyfriend who feels guilty for accidentally causing the climbing accident; Asbjørn, a stroke victim full of suppressed anger; Lillemor, an old divorced woman who complains often.
Tori does her best to get Geirr to appreciate his life. The rest of the group helps her by offering sympathy and encouragement. Tori tells Geirr to focus on solutions and not problems, while Geirr rebels. With irreverence he promotes the view that there are no solutions at all. Eventually he turns the group to his side by having them acknowledge and revel in their problems, dropping the facade of positive thinking and happiness.
As Geirr gradually takes control of the group he initiates arguments about who is the worst off with the most serious problems, and who is malingerering or does not belong. After dramatic emotional breakdowns, the group members discover solidarity and emotional release by being honest and dropping the facade they have built around themselves. They become familiar with each other, they become friends, and they learn the art of thinking negatively.
with 60,000 admissions. In France, The Art of Negative Thinking was first screened in the CineNordica program in Paris and then launched in theaters on 26 November 2008.
at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
, and accepted the award joking that he had "been asked many times by journalists why we in Scandinavia
are obsessed by making films about depressive people like alcoholics, etc. Tonight, we have success in Eastern Europe and I think you are depressed just as we are." In addition to being chosen best director, Breien was rewarded at the Karlovy festival with a deal for distribution of the film in France by the producer of a rival film at the competition. Other awards won by The Art of Negative Thinking include the Scuola Holden Award for "Best Script" at the 2007 Torino Film Festival
in Italy, and the Prix de la Presse at the 2007 Rencontres Internationales de Cinéma à Paris in France.
Reception from critics has been mostly positive. Variety
' s Alissa Simon commented that the film "includes some barbs directed at the Norwegian state, but the issues it addresses are universal. These include how severe handicaps affect every aspect of daily life for the disabled and their loved ones — from frustrating physical challenges, through sexual and mental health, to fear of loneliness and dependency." She added that Breien "manages to sustain the darkly comic mood throughout, using acerbic dialogue [...] and cleverly chosen rock/country music extracts. Smart production design underlines the physical challenges the characters face in everyday life, both comic and poignant. Ensemble cast is first-rate, with performances treading a delicate balance between naturalism and stylization, yet managing to engage viewers' sympathy by sidestepping easy stereotypes."
The leading French newspaper Le Figaro
awarded the film with three out of three stars, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation's Einar Guldvog Staalesen gave it five out of six stars. Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter
commented that "despite its transgressive tone, the film gives way to a conventional structure." She added that some parts of the film "feel as false as the most manipulative
feel-good drama's catharsis. But the strong performances and Breien's wry glance maintain the dark energy and, most important, the healthy skepticism toward self-righteous cliches that posit denial as a method of healing."
Dan Fainaru of Screen Daily described the film as offering "a refreshingly unceremonious approach to the plights of the physically impaired."
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
: Kunsten å tenke negativt) is a 2006 Norwegian black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
film directed and written by Bård Breien
Bård Breien
-Debut:Breien's directorial debut was the 2007 movie The Art of Negative Thinking, a dark comedy about adjusting to life in a wheel chair and socializing with other people who have disabilities. The film won Breien a Crystal Globe award for best director at the Karlovy Vary International Film...
. The storyline revolves around a man (played by Fridtjov Såheim) who is adjusting to life in a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
, and the socializing group he is made to join. The film was Breien's directorial debut. It was produced by Dag Alveberg for the production company Maipo film- og TV-produksjon. The Art of Negative Thinking was successful both domestically and internationally, with sales of 35,000 tickets in its Norwegian theater run and the highest-gross in Germany for any Nordic film during 2008. Reviews were mostly positive and the film won multiple international awards.
Plot
A support group takes a van to visit a 33-year-old man named Geirr who was in a car accident that made him a paraplegic two years prior. Geirr is paralyzed and impotent from the waist down and gets around with assistance from his wife, a motorized stair climber, and a wheelchairWheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
. He tells his loving and devoted wife, Ingvild, how terrible his life is and is drenched in bitterness, spending his time drinking booze, smoking marijuana, and watching films based on the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
In an attempt to get her husband to look more favorably on his life and to save their marriage, Ingvild signs Geirr up for a positivity group meeting. All the members of the group have different disabilities, and with the help of an enthusiastic group leader Tori (who has no disability) they are forbidden to say anything negative and encourage each other to see things more positively. The group includes Marta, who is a quadriplegic as a result of a climbing accident; Gard, Marta's self-absorbed boyfriend who feels guilty for accidentally causing the climbing accident; Asbjørn, a stroke victim full of suppressed anger; Lillemor, an old divorced woman who complains often.
Tori does her best to get Geirr to appreciate his life. The rest of the group helps her by offering sympathy and encouragement. Tori tells Geirr to focus on solutions and not problems, while Geirr rebels. With irreverence he promotes the view that there are no solutions at all. Eventually he turns the group to his side by having them acknowledge and revel in their problems, dropping the facade of positive thinking and happiness.
As Geirr gradually takes control of the group he initiates arguments about who is the worst off with the most serious problems, and who is malingerering or does not belong. After dramatic emotional breakdowns, the group members discover solidarity and emotional release by being honest and dropping the facade they have built around themselves. They become familiar with each other, they become friends, and they learn the art of thinking negatively.
Cast
- Fridtjov Såheim as Geirr
- Kjersti HolmenKjersti HolmenKjersti Holmen is a Norwegian actress.She was born on Nøtterøy, and later moved to Alnabru, where she grew up with her parents and two sisters. She graduated from the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre in 1980, and has been employed at the National Theatre since 1981 – permanently since...
as Tori - Henrik Mestad as Gard
- Marian Saastad Ottesen as Marte
- Kari SimonsenKari SimonsenKari Simonsen is a Norwegian actress. She made her professional stage debut at Folketeatret in 1959. She was appointed at Oslo Nye Teater from 1960 to 1972, and at Nationaltheatret from 1974. She has also played for radio and television, and had guest appearances at the revue stages Chat Noir and...
as Lillemor - Kirsti Eline Torhaug as Ingvild
- Per Schaaning as Asbjørn
Release
The Art of Negative Thinking was released in Norway on 11 November 2006 and its international run began in June 2007. It was distributed in Norway by Columbia Tristar Nordisk Film Distributors, and internationally by the Danish company TrustNordisk. The film sold 35,000 tickets in its Norwegian theater run, and was the highest-grossing Nordic film of 2008 in Germany with a total of 70,000 admissions. The second highest-grossing Nordic film of that year was You, the LivingYou, the Living
You, the Living is a 2007 Swedish film written and directed by Roy Andersson. The film is an exploration on the "grandeur of existence," centered around the lives of an overweight woman, a disgruntled psychiatrist, a heartbroken groupie, a carpenter, a business consultant, an elementary school...
with 60,000 admissions. In France, The Art of Negative Thinking was first screened in the CineNordica program in Paris and then launched in theaters on 26 November 2008.
Reception
The Art of Negative Thinking received multiple international film awards. It won the "Best Film" category at the Lübeck Nordic Film Days. Breien was awarded with a "Best Director" Crystal GlobeCrystal Globe
Crystal Globe is the main award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, first given in the city of Karlovy Vary of the Czech Republic, in 1948.In the international competition of films, IFFKV presents the following awards:...
at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
, and accepted the award joking that he had "been asked many times by journalists why we in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
are obsessed by making films about depressive people like alcoholics, etc. Tonight, we have success in Eastern Europe and I think you are depressed just as we are." In addition to being chosen best director, Breien was rewarded at the Karlovy festival with a deal for distribution of the film in France by the producer of a rival film at the competition. Other awards won by The Art of Negative Thinking include the Scuola Holden Award for "Best Script" at the 2007 Torino Film Festival
25th Torino Film Festival
The 25th Torino Film Festival was held 23 November – 1 December 2007 in Turin, Italy and was directed by Nanni Moretti.-Films in competition:*The Art of Negative Thinking *Away from Her...
in Italy, and the Prix de la Presse at the 2007 Rencontres Internationales de Cinéma à Paris in France.
Reception from critics has been mostly positive. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
The leading French newspaper Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
awarded the film with three out of three stars, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation's Einar Guldvog Staalesen gave it five out of six stars. Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
commented that "despite its transgressive tone, the film gives way to a conventional structure." She added that some parts of the film "feel as false as the most manipulative
Psychological manipulation
Psychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behavior of others through underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive tactics. By advancing the interests of the manipulator, often at the other's expense, such methods could be considered exploitative,...
feel-good drama's catharsis. But the strong performances and Breien's wry glance maintain the dark energy and, most important, the healthy skepticism toward self-righteous cliches that posit denial as a method of healing."
Dan Fainaru of Screen Daily described the film as offering "a refreshingly unceremonious approach to the plights of the physically impaired."
External links
- The Art of Negative Thinking at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- The Art of Negative Thinking at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...