Stranger Than Fiction, #8: A total head-scratcher

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you like feeling like you’ve been awake for three days straight. It’s for the folks who get a kick out of Simen Mustrøens besynderlige opplevelser but wish it had way more baby alligators and fewer people talking. If you want a plot, keep walking.

The whole thing feels like a collection of “believe it or not” segments that lost their host. There is no flow. Just one weird thing after another until it stops.

The Gander Incident

I don’t know who trained that goose, but it’s mean. It’s got this look in its eyes like it’s seen too much. Watching a bird try to fight in what looks like a backyard wrestling match is... something.

It’s funny, in a way. You expect a high-stakes drama and you get a farm animal losing its mind. It’s not quite as chaotic as Mickey's Mix-Up, but it’s definitely trying to get a rise out of you.

Oddities and Ends

The railroad car wheel tombstone? That’s cool. I spent way too long staring at that frame trying to figure out how they got it out there. The movie doesn't care if you're confused.

Sometimes the film feels like it’s mocking you for asking questions. Why is the dentist traveling? Does the oxygen hotel actually have a spa menu? It’s better not to ask.

• The sand scenes are weirdly beautiful in a bleak sort of way.
• The dog, Pullman, is the only one acting like a professional.
• I’m still not sure about the Japanese fire ritual. It feels misplaced.

It’s definitely not a masterpiece like King Lear, but it’s got a weird energy. It feels like a scrap of history that was never meant to be seen by anyone born after 1940. I’m okay with that. 🦆