Description
LASSE & GEIR (1976)
“They must be in opposition to the society we live in!” That was the only requirement in the advertisement. The goal was to find two boys who would fit the roles of Lasse and Geir, in the film that would give people the most conflicting emotions. Svend Wam wanted to bombard people with impressions. And preferably provoke. The film about the two scoundrel boys from Bogerud in Oslo East marked the beginning of a long collaboration between Wam and Petter Vennerød that included fourteen feature films and several shorts. Through interviews with actors and others involved, a dive into newspaper archives, and an analytical look, film critic and cultural journalist Ida Madsen Hestman will take a closer look at what made Wam and Vennerød’s scoundrel film a cult phenomenon. But also place the film in a socio-cultural and historical Oslo perspective. Lasse & Geir was the film that launched the expression “the social democratic hell”. In what ways was the film socially critical and provocative? Is the film at all provocative today? And is it really that good? Maybe we'll dig up some pictures too. And a register of unforgettable, funny and small movie lines.
Ida Madsen Hestman from Bjørndal in Oslo, is a film and music critic, cultural journalist and media scholar, with a master's degree from the University of Oslo. She writes about music in Klassekampen, is the founder and editor of the cultural platform TBA, and freelances for NRK, the film magazine Montages, Z Filmtidsskrift, and has a background from Dagbladet, VG, Dagsavisen, and NattogDag and the production company Monster, among others. She has also helped start two film festivals in Mo i Rana and in Trondheim, and sits on the program board of Vega cinema in Oslo. Madsen Hestman is a member of the Norwegian Film Critics Association, Filmkritikerlager, and FIPRESCI - The International Federation of Film Critics. She received a film critic grant from Fritt Ord in 2020.