Jonny Vang
| Jonny Vang | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Jens Lien |
| Produced by | Dag Alveberg |
| Written by | Ståle Stein Berg |
| Starring |
Aksel Hennie Laila Goody Fridtjov Såheim Marit Andreassen Bjørn Sundquist Nils Vogt |
| Music by | Calexico |
| Edited by | Pål Gengenbach |
| Distributed by | United International Pictures (UIP) |
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Release date
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14 February 2003 (Norway) |
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Running time
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85 minutes |
| Country | Norway |
| Language | Norwegian |
| Budget | 14,500,000 kr |
Jonny Vang is a Norwegian film from 2003. It was directed by Jens Lien after a script by Ståle Stein Berg. The music was composed by the band Calexico. The plot is a drama-comedy from the Norwegian countryside, where the protagonist Jonny Vang is frustrated in his efforts to prosper as a breeder of earthworms. The film was reasonably well received by critics, and was awarded an Amanda Award for "Best Actor" in 2003.
Jonny Vang (Aksel Hennie) lives on the Norwegian countryside, where he is trying to establish a business breeding earthworms. His ambitions to expand are thwarted by the bank manager (Trond Brænne), who will not lend him the necessary money. He lives with his mother Brita (Marit Andreassen) and her difficult friend Odvar (Bjørn Sundquist). On top of all of this, he is also carrying out an affair with Tuva (Laila Goody) – the wife of his best friend Magnus (Fridtjov Såheim). Things get even worse when an unknown assailant knocks him over the head with a shovel.
Jonny Vang was director Jens Lien's debut as a feature film director. Lien had previously established himself as a director of television advertisements. He had also been represented twice at the Cannes International Film Festival, with short films. He described the film as "a drama comedy, a juicy story, life, lust and rock 'n' roll. It's a dead serious comedy."
Lien originally considered Hennie too young for the role, but the actor was persistent, and finally persuaded the director that he was the right man for the part. The movie, where the story takes place in Gudbrandsdalen, was filmed in the town of Fåvang.
To get Calexico's permission to use their music in the film, Lien had to travel to the U.S. in person. He brought with him an unfinished version of the film, but the only place where he could play the VHS tape was at a nearby rental store, where 30 customers joined the band and the director, who had to simultaneously translate the plot. The music is a mix of traditional American and Mexican music, and is gathered from the band's albums Spoke (1997), The Black Light (1998) and Hot Rail (2000).
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