So much average

How sad is this?

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Easily one of the most moving films i've ever seen. It screened here once on SBS television & i've waited for a repeat ever since, but to no avail. I am now annoyed I never taped it, because my search for a DVD release with English subtitles has proved fruitless. Even the Hong Kong version lacked subs. http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.533069/qx/details.htm Its obviously been criminally overlooked, for there's scant English commentary online for it. I think i'll have to request SBS play it again & get a DVD recorder to spring into action if it does appear again.Probably the most convincing portrayal of people coping with the loss of a family member. Mostly from the point of view of the young girl who won't acknowledge her brothers death & makes stories up to hide her fear of the truth. The scene with her mother's inability to accept her son's death is outstanding.So far it's been one of my private gems that i've been unable to share with others because of it's unavailability. There won't be many comments here because of its unfair obscurity, so i felt compelled to let the director know that she created one highly impressive directorial debut from her own script & it's a shame there haven't been more films with her name attached.

"Bare skyer beveger stjernene" is a beautiful little piece about a girl dealing with her brother's death while the family temporarily disintegrates. At the same time she meets a boy and finds some sort of first bonding/love.Sounds simple, but it really works, due to solid natural sounding dialogue, somber editing, wonderful photography, excellent chemistry and directing - and not much over-acting, even from the children's main characters. (Unnatural over-acting is a huge problem in Norwegian movies - they are often populated with Theodore actors who act too much, and with sometimes surprisingly weak dialogue that no normal people would say in reality. If you think I exaggerate, just watch "Buddy".) I would say this is one of the best Norwegian movies from the 90's, and quite underestimated. It's a shame it's not out on DVD (yet), but let's hope someone manages to get it out in widescreen, DTS-sound and with foreign subtitles. It deserves to be seen by many more! (This review is based on my memory of seeing the movie in 1998 - I hope it's still valid if I see it again now.)

The Scandinavian countries still hold first place when it comes to youth and children's films. This 1998 Norwegian film by Torun Lian, however, even sets the standard a little higher. The quietly and subtly directed story of Oslo-born Maria, who has lost her little brother to cancer and sees her family disintegrating before her very eyes, will one day be regarded as one of the best coming-of-age films ever made.It is sad, yes, even hard to watch at times how Maria is lost in her young life. But when she meets a boy her own age - mostly left to himself by his working mother - and they share days and evenings talking and generally goofing around in the provincial town of Bergen, she gradually opens up. When the first smile in a long time appears on Maria's face, it is impossible to ignore the lump in your throat - you know you've slowly but surely been drawn into this serious but wonderful little film. If you have the chance to catch this gem with subtitles and in its original 'Scope-format, don't pass up on it.

I found this movie while flicking through the channels and found it to be an exceptionally made coming-of-age tale about a young girl. The performances were brilliant, as was the writing and the direction was first-class. I only saw the final half-hour of this film, but if that is anything to go by, then this is an incredible film. I shall look for a copy of this film on video so that I may see the rest of this sensational piece of film making. When I do, I shall post a more complete comment.