This summer at Scandinavia House, see the critically acclaimed Nordic films that inspired American remakes in the series “The Nordics Do It Better”! You’ve seen the Hollywood version — did you know how good the original was?
A vengeance tale with equal parts Coen Brothers humor and Tarantino-style action, In Order of Disappearance /Kraftidioten (Norway, 2016) stars Stellan Skarsgård as the introverted and hard-working snowplow drive Nils, who has just been named “Citizen of the Year” when he receives news that his son has died of a heroin overdose. Disbelieving the official report, Nils soon uncovers evidence that his son was murdered as a result of a turf war between a buffoonish local mob boss known as “The Count” (Pål Sverre Hagan) and his Serbian rivals.
Armed with heavy machinery and a good dose of beginner’s luck, Nils embarks upon a quest for revenge that soon escalates into full-blown war, with the body count spiraling ever higher among drug traffickers, con artists, and kingpins. A wintry thriller with satisfying intelligence — and more than a few laughs — In Order of Disappearance was remade by Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland in 2019 as the American thriller Cold Pursuit, starring Liam Neeson.
“A cheeky black comedy and worthy Norwegian successor to Kill Bill” (Globe and Mail)
“Swift, fleet-of-foot, and efficient, with clean lines and a sleek finish, In Order of Disappearance glides through the world like a perfectly engineered car or a gorgeous piece of modern furniture” (Philadelphia Inquirer)
About Hans Petter Moland
Hans Petter Moland (b.1955, Norway) graduated from Emerson College. His film Aberdeen (2000) premiered in competition at Karlovy Vary, where Ian Hart won the Best Actor Award, and later won awards at festivals in the U.S., Milan and at the European Film Festival. In 2004 his film The Beautiful Country starring Nick Nolte, Tim Roth and Bai Ling competed in Berlin. His film A Somewhat Gentle Man won the Berliner Morgenpost Readers’ Award at the Berlinale in 2010 and numerous prizes, including the Special Jury Prize at Chicago International Film Festival. In Order of Disappearance (2014) was Hans Petter Moland’s third competition entry in the Berlinale. For his adaptation of the famous Norwegian book Comrade Pedersen (2006), Moland won the award for Best Direction at the Montreal World Film Festival, and his short film United We Stand won the Grand Prix in Clairmont Ferrand and an additional 23 awards worldwide.
He has enjoyed a long collaboration with Stellan Skarsgård, who has starred in the Competition entries En ganske snill mann and Kraftidioten (2013) as well as who Out Stealing Horses (2019), which was selected as Norway’s contender for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Filmography
1993 Secondløitnanten 1995 Kjærlighetens kjøtere 2000 Aberdeen 2002 Folk Flest Bor i Kina 2004 The Beautiful Country 2006 Gymnaslærer Pedersen 2010 En ganske snill mann (A Somewhat Gentle Man) 2012 When Bubbles Burst 2013 Kraftidioten (In Order of Disappearance) 2019 Ut og stjæle hester (Out Stealing Horses)