The film is based on a novel by Knut Faldbakken, which was also adapted into a Swedish TV series in 1976. The film is available on DVD with English subtitles from [Nordic Film Classics].
Plot summary
Petter (Ousdal) is a young man who has dropped out of his studies in Oslo and broken up with his fiancÃe. He returns to his hometown, where his mother (Rasmussen) lives alone in a large house after the death of her husband. Petter's mother is overjoyed to see him, and welcomes him back with open arms. She treats him like a child, and does everything for him, including cooking, cleaning, and washing his clothes.
Petter soon realizes that his mother has an unhealthy attachment to him, and that she wants him to stay with her forever. She becomes jealous and possessive when he starts dating a local girl, Inger (Anne Marie Ottersen), and tries to sabotage their relationship. She also makes sexual advances towards him, and seduces him one night when he is drunk. Petter is shocked and confused by his mother's behavior, but also feels guilty and sorry for her. He tries to resist her, but also finds himself drawn to her.
The film ends with a confrontation between Petter and his mother, in which he tells her that he loves her, but that their relationship is wrong. He decides to leave her and move back to Oslo with Inger. His mother begs him to stay, and threatens to kill herself if he leaves. Petter ignores her pleas, and walks out of the house. His mother runs after him, screaming his name, but he does not look back.
Cast
Sverre Anker Ousdal as Petter
Kari Rasmussen as Petter's mother
Anne Marie Ottersen as Inger
BjÃrn Sundquist as Arne
Per Christensen as Petter's father
Liv Thorsen as Petter's aunt
Per Jansen as Petter's uncle
Arne Bang-Hansen as Doctor
References
[Nordic Film Classics]
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