Dino is a Swedish immigrant living on the outskirts of Oslo. Following a stint in rehab for alcohol, she’s squatting in a sharehouse with a group of fellow Swedes, having fled a harsh economy in their homeland.
Looking for work, she befriends former tennis-pro-cum-restauranteur Steffen, who has her babysit his two daughters. As a relationship blossoms between the two, the couple escapes the grind of their daily existence, until the harsh reality of Steffen’s separation forces them to face reality.
Showing as part of this year’s Scandinavian Film Festival, the film is a solid character study on the strong yet set-back Dino as she pushes forward trying to make sense of her self. The story is also a stark examination of Swedish/Norwegian relations, demonstrating a large amount of racism toward Swedes in Norway. While Dino’s housemates host Swede-only house parties with Swedish food and music, Steffen’s middle class friends lament the influx of Swedes in their hometown while simultaneously pointing out they’re only good for menial labour, albeit in front of Dino.
While it may get off to a slow start, there are excellent performances from Bianca Kronlöf as Dino and Henrik Rafaelsen as Steffen, allowing the story to slowly creep up on the audience.
4/5 stars
Underdog is playing at Palace Cinemas as part of Scandinavian Film Festival 2015.
