Gilbert – Gilbert’s grusomme hevn (2016)

Directed by: Hanne Larsen | 90 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Simon Hobbel Rosendahl, Gisken Armand, Hannah Dybvand, Egil Hegerberg

Ever since eleven-year-old Gilbert puked just about all of his teammates in the football cafeteria, life hasn’t been fun anymore. He is called ‘Spuugbert’ and all the children ignore him. It is therefore very nice that his mother gets a new job, which allows them to move. Gilbert is determined to make a success of this new start: no one will know that he is allergic to egg!

The Norwegian youth film ‘Gilbert’ (‘Gilberts grusomme hevn’) tells a recognizable story in a funny way. Every child will be able to identify with the misadventures of the sympathetic protagonist. It makes sense that he is happy with the chance to make new friends. You’re genuinely happy for him when he seems to click with that cute new girl next door, Line. She plays ice hockey fanatically and when Gilbert hears that they are looking for another goalkeeper, he decides that ice hockey is his favorite sport. It’s Line’s birthday soon and invites her new neighbor to an ‘ice hockey party’. Gilbert has to be there of course! There is only one problem: his parents have to go to Spain for work and Gilbert can’t stay home alone. That Gilbert is now really doing well, becomes apparent when there is also a solution for this. His aunt Doris, whom he has not seen for a while, can come and watch. No sooner said than done.

‘Gilbert’ is a film that is slightly out of touch with reality. So in this universe, it’s no surprise that Aunt Doris embodies hell on earth for Gilbert. What seemed like a good idea at first turned around within a day. Although Doris is still cautious. That her intestines play up quite often, that’s up to now, but baking cookies and playing mikado all day long, that’s going too far. However, when she notices that Gilbert prefers to spend time with his peers, she goes wild. You were allergic to egg, did you say? We’ll see! Gilbert struggles to hide his egg allergy from Line and the boys on the ice hockey team. However, he is opposed on all sides by Aunt Doris.

Filmmaker Hanne Larsen based the screenplay for her feature film debut on the famous book EGGG by Stein Erik Lunde. The emphasis in the story is on Gilbert’s attempts to be accepted, a well-known theme in children’s films. In ‘Gilbert’ the balance between drama and humor is just right. The idiotic psychological warfare that Aunt Doris has elevated to an art can be tolerated by the convincing interpretation of Gisken Armand, who is especially well known in her homeland. The revenge aspect has only a small role in the film, only at the end do we see how Gilbert pays his aunt. ‘Gilbert’ is a fun movie that is sure to provide a great afternoon for children aged 7 to 12.