I travel alone

Literature student Jarle (Rolf Christian Larsen) is astonished when one day he receives a letter saying he is the father of an almost seven-year-old girl. And now he of all people, who loves to spend his time with parties, his buddies or casual affairs, is supposed to take care of little Charlotte Isabel (Amina Eleonora Bergrem), called Lotte, for a week. To make matters worse, the girl's 7th birthday falls during this period. But not only Jarle, also little Lotte is not very enthusiastic about a forced visit to her completely unknown daddy. But after initial problems and quarrels Jarle begins to feel quite comfortable in his unwanted father role and little Lotte really grows on him. But the family harmony threatens to be short-lived...

I travel alone sounds at first glance like a Norwegian version of Til Schweiger's hit movie Kokowääh. In fact, the parallels in the story are unmistakable. And yet the films could not be more different. Stian Kristiansen also relies on humor and some somewhat overused clichés. But he approaches the matter much more subtly than his German colleague and thus achieves a greater closeness to reality and much more charm. When Jarle and Lotte meet for the first time, for example, there aren't any cheeky-cool dialogues like "Who are you? - Well, Paris Hilton's sister! Lotte is much more reserved and thus more endearing.

But it probably wouldn't do either film justice if one were to limit one's evaluation to comparisons alone. Kokowääh ultimately appealed to the tastes of a wide audience and played its way into the hearts of viewers. Sure, the parallels between the two films are unmistakable and there must be little way to avoid a comparison. But in the end, I Travel Alone doesn't necessarily appeal to the audience that rushed into theaters for Kokowääh - which is a shame. Because the charming comedy would have deserved to be able to mobilize a broad audience for itself.

But for that, the humor is probably, apart from a few moments, too restrained, the main character too chaotic, at first glance almost unlikable and the story too little fairy tale. But that's also what makes the film so appealing. Often the joke, but also the emotionality of the story only comes from the fact that you can relate to the situations as an audience member. And underneath his somewhat coarse surface, Jarle, played by Rolf Kristian Larsen, known from the first two parts of the Cold Prey series, is also a really nice and somehow also very authentic guy, whom you just have to like in the end.

I travel alone is, all in all, a small, very nice comedy with a lot of Nordic charm, an adorable child actress and likeable characters. Although the story is not really original and some moments correspond a bit too much to the usual clichés, in the end the viewer is left with a smile, a pleasant feeling and also a bit of pleasant sadness. And that's what makes a nice movie. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp