Butler's Cinema Scene

Kristoffer Joner

“WAR SAILOR” My rating: A- (Netflix)

“War Sailor” is a clunkily literal title for a sublimely moving experience.

This mini-series (presented on Netflix in three parts, although it played theatrically in its native Norway as one epic film) is a celebration of sacrifice. Sometimes it’s almost too much to take.

During WWII thousands of Norwegian merchantmen stranded at sea by the Nazi invasion of their homeland continued to move food, weapons and other materiel vital to the Allied cause. One in six died, the victims of German U-boat attacks.

Writer/director Gunnar Vikene celebrates their almost unfathomable suffering by concentrating on the experiences of two men, Alfred (Kristoffer Joner) and Sigbjorn (Pål Sverre Hagen), longtime friends who in 1939 ship out as mates on a freighter.

Alfred leaves behind a young wife, Cecelia (Ine Marie Wilmann), and three children, including young Magdeli, who is so sure her father will never return that she tries to hide the documents he needs to board ship.

Sigbjorn, on the other hand, is a rather sad fellow, a bachelor who experiences family life vicariously. He’s a sort of uncle to Alfred’s kids.

Pål Sverre Hagen

“War Sailor” contrasts the misadventures of the two men with the wartime experiences of Cecelia and the children.

It’s not all heroics for our protagonists. In fact, heroism is in short supply. As men without a country Alfred, Sigbjorn and their fellow Norwegians suffer a form of indentured servitude. They want to stick it to the Nazis, yes, but they’re in the demoralizing position of sitting ducks. If attacked they cannot fight back.

Small wonder they consider going over the side of their boat when it docks in New York City, where it will be hard for the authorities to find them.

Meanwhile in occupied Norway, Alfred’s family must watch as a U-Boat facility is constructed just a few blocks from their home; as a result they will endure the terrors of air raids as the Brits try to blow up the submarine base.

One wonders if filmmaker Vikene wasn’t inspired by Homer’s “Odyssey.” There’s plenty of terror and action, while the subtext is always of a men wanting to return to their wives and loved ones.

Ine Marie Wilmann

“War Sailor” offers some of the best ensemble acting seen in recent years. It’s been perfectly cast down to the smallest role, and the players are so effective that every few minutes one has to resist the temptation to stop the show for a little recovery time…the fear, angst and loneliness of these characters (as well as some moments of selfless brotherhood) can push audiences to an emotional edge.

No kidding. It’s that good.

And the technical production is outstanding. I cannot imagine how much it cost to produce this spectacle, nor can I figure out which effects are CG and which are actually unfolding in front of the camera. Whatever the case, the show perfectly balances the universal with the deeply personal.

| Robert W. Butler