‘War Sailor’, also known as ‘Krigsseileren’, was Norway’s official entry to the 95th Academy Awards. The movie has finally released on Netflix but in the form of a 3-part limited series. Is the series worth your time? Read the full review to find out.
Alternate Name: Krigsseileren (Norwegian)
Director: Gunnar Vikene
Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Pål Sverre Hagen, Ine Marie Wilmann
Available On: Netflix
Duration: 3 Episodes, 1 Hour Each
The sailor Alfred (Kristoffer Joner) is caught up in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when World War II breaks out. Suddenly the sailors are in the front of the war, without any weapons. He was brought to this ship for a job by his childhood best friend (Pål Sverre Hagen), who is also with him on the ship. Will the two be able to finally make it out of the war zone? Or will they get inducted into the war itself as soldiers? What will happen to their families who’re awaiting their arrival at home? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch the series.
Kristoffer Joner is the pick of the actors. The story is narrated from his perspective and therefore his character bears the entire weight of the storyline. Joner brings in such a nuanced performance that you can actually feel empathy from him by the end. You are smiling alongside him, you’re crying with him and you’re getting irritated with the situations just like he is. Every strand of emotion that he showcases onscreen you can relate to and feel like you are experiencing that. To be able to pull off such emotions out of the viewer is pure magic.
There is no doubt that Pål Sverre Hagen is handsome like a Greek God. However, it’s not just his good looks that he brings to the table, but his prowess in being able to mould himself into different shades of the same character. Playing the best friend to the main lead, he didn’t feel out of place. Every move that he made, every decision that he took, and every sweat that he dropped felt genuine and real. We all want that kind of s best friend in our lives. Even though there are ups and downs in the character, Hagen manages to keep the same friendly face whenever it came to his bestie. He was always looking out for him, and even till the last scene, it was just the same way. Maintaining that character arc throughout was definitely the toughest part, and he managed to get that perfect.
Ine Marie Wilmann might have the least of screen space among the three leads, but she has done decently enough for the character at her disposal. The character was written in a way that it had to have raw emotions, yet be always in a calm and composed manner. Wilmann managed to bring those characteristics to the screen perfectly whenever needed.
‘War Sailor’, which was the official entry of Norway to the 95th Academy Awards in the Foreign Language category, has been very skilfully divided into 3 episodes for a limited series by writer-director Gunnar Vikene. As the storyline is very heavy, it was a terrific decision to chop it into 3 episodes and add some extra bits and release it as a limited series. Otherwise, it would have been too much to absorb in just about 3 hours long. Vikene’s direction will leave you on the tenterhooks when the war sequences are on and will leave you feeling impatient about what’s going to happen next during the family sequences. It’s this wide range of emotions that the movie elicits out of you that makes you fall in love with the ‘War Sailor’. However, I would agree that the writing could have had a lot more dialogue and the screenplay could have been more fast-paced. That way, the audience wouldn’t have felt slightly bored in the initial parts of the story. You would have to sit through those scenes to finally feel like you’ve jumped into the middle of the story finally. That wait could put off many viewers.
Sturla Brandth Grøvlen’s cinematography is the best thing about ‘War Sailor’. The war sequences are shot so perfectly that you feel like you’re actually standing in the middle of the war and experiencing it all. There are chase sequences when the aircrafts start bombing that have come out so perfectly that makes you want to stand up and clap at the genius of Grøvlen. There is an entire sequence where the sailors are trying to escape from the ship, and it has been shot so brilliantly from so many different angles, that you would just love to rewind it and watch it all over again. To add to this, the sequences which are not shot in the sea are shown in such remotely located areas that it brings the necessary depth to the bland and mundane lifestyle that the characters are leading there. Masterstroke!
Peter Brandt and Anders Albjerg Kristiansen’s editing could have been much crisper. I can understand that in order to showcase a life devoid of any fun, you tend to prolong shots, but in ‘War Sailor’, it’s just taken to the next level. There are shots where an entire 360 degree of a blank sea’s view is panned inch by inch. Could have simply shown it from a top angle and created the necessary impact. Even during the conversations, there are such long pauses, especially in the ending, that you’re constantly contemplating what the character’s next move would be. The impact is good for the connoisseur's eye, but for the audience wanting entertainment, it’s just a bit too much to gulp down.
Volker Bertelmann’s music and background score is subtle yet spectacular. In such a long story, you would tend to usually have some great background score so as to make yourself one with the story. However, Bertelmann leaves a lot of empty patches without a background score, so as to create the necessary impact of a life that’s gone insipid in many ways. The depth of the void in their lives comes alive so perfectly when you’re getting impatient waiting for some background score while watching the series. To add to that, the way Bertelmann brings alive the sounds of the bombing and the aeroplanes demands respect. Fantastic!
Yes
‘War Sailor’ is one of the finest slow burners you would have ever seen. The story is harrowing and will leave you wrenched of your emotions by the end of it. For anyone looking for a typical war film, this is going to be disappointing, but for the connoisseurs of great cinema, this is indeed a Must Watch. I am going with 4.5 stars.