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| Norwegian poster artwork for the drama thriller Pioneer/Pionér. |
Norwegian Nonpareil by Linh
Norwegian director and writer Erik Skjoldbjærg’s (Insomnia,Prozac Nation) most recent film Pioneer/Pionér is in the early development stages for an American re-make with George Clooney attached as a producer. Skjoldbjærg’s original Norwegian version has hit and miss aspects yet is still a compelling drama thriller. The film is inspired by true events where the discovery of large oil and gas resources at the bottom of the North Sea in the 1970s, sparked a collaborative effort between Norway and America to establish underwater pipelines to transport the oil ashore.
Pioneer/Pionér is set in the late 1970s and early 1980s, opening with archival footage of oil being discovered off the Norwegian coast. As Norway do not have experienced deep-sea divers and technicians to do the task of testing the seabed for underwater pipeline construction, an American team are brought over to train the Norwegians. US deep-sea divers Mike (Wes Bentley), Ronald (Jonathan LaPaglia) and supervisor Ferris (Stephen Lang) arrive to train the Norwegian team which includes brothers Petter (Aksel Hennie) and Knut (André Eriksen). After the teams undergo a series of tests and exercises, an actual dive into the North Sea is organised. Unfortunately, Knut loses oxygen during the dive and Petter is unable to resuscitate him. Petter is determined to seek the truth behind his brother’s death, which leads him on a dangerous path involving distrust between Norway and the United States, corrupt oil company executives and government cover-ups.
Pioneer has a brilliant first half which creates a claustrophobic feel for the underwater scenes and adds some humour to the training and testing sessions. The second half moves the action away from the sea to land where Petter, a solid performance from Aksel Hennie, is using old style methods (no Internet or any twenty-first century technology) like breaking and entering, to investigate why nobody took responsibility for his brother’s death and no safety measures were in place for the diving team.
The French electronic music duo, Air, contributes to much of the film’s atmospheric moods and underwater intensities with their psycho-acoustic harmonies and electronica style to express the fear, danger and suspense. Overall, this film is akin to an old-style 1970s conspiracy thriller with many questions left unanswered, which might frustrate audiences accustomed to more fast-paced and spoon-fed action thrillers that Hollywood serves up. Hopefully, George Clooney produces something equally good or better for the American re-make.
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| Mike (Wes Bentley) and Knut (Andre Eriksen) face-off in the film Pioneer/Pionér. Image: Magnolia Pictures. |
Writers: Hans Gunnarson, Katharina valen Zeiner, Cathinka Nicolaysen, Nikolaj Frobenius, Erik Skjoldbjærg
Cast: Aksel Hennie, Wes Bentley, Stephen Lang, Jonathan LaPaglia, Stephanie Stigman, Ane Dahl Torp, André Eriksen, Jørgen Langhelle
Producers: Asle Vatn, Christian Fredrick Martin, Raimond Goebel, Mimmi Spång, Rebecka LaFrenz, Lone Korslund, Jessica Ask, Marko Röhr, Ilkka Matila, Antoine Simkine
Cinematographer: Jallo Faber
Music Composers: Air (Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel)
Film Editors: Frida Eggum Micahelsen, Jonas Aarø
Production: Karl Júlíusson (production designer), Louise Drake (set decorator)
Costume Designer: Anne Pederson
Languages: Norwegian and English with English subtitles
Running Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
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