FILM REVIEW: The Man Who Loved Yngve – Proving Teen Angst Gay Films Can Actually Be Watchable

Okay I’m going to admit it up front. I wasn’t looking forward to watching “The Man Who Loved Yngve”.  Why? Because basically I wasn’t really interested in watching another half hearted angsty  film about a teenager struggling to come to terms with their sexuality and then either ending up skipping off happily with the one they love (which let’s face it never happens) or alternatively sees everyone slit their wrists and die (such positive role models..).

However I have to admit it wasn’t actually half as bad as I imagined. Set in 1989 in Norway (yes that means subtitles but it’s good for expanding your vocabulary so don’t complain..) the film is centred around one teenager Jarle Klepp (Rolf Kristian Larsen) and his slightly rebellious life with best friend Helge (Arthur Berning) and girlfriend Katrine (Ida Elise Broch). Doing the teen thing and forming a rock band and saying they hate everything, the three are essentially living something of a standard teenage life. Then Yngve (Ole Christoffer Ertvåg) appears on the scene and only goes and mucks it all up by getting Jarle all confused about his feelings.

Cue Helge feeling hurt and angry there’s a contender for the friendships, homophobia as Jarle tries to hide his true feelings and Katrine not being too happy that she’s no longer the centre of his world and it’s still sounding pretty much like a teen angst film right? Well let’s be honest in terms of the story it is, however there are two elements that stop it being just that – the direction of the film and the soundtrack.

Directed by Stian Kristiansen whilst still at film school, it is how this film begins that makes it stand out. There’s no standing on the sidelines and trying to work out what’s going on with “The Man Who Loved Yngve”,  instead we are introduced to Jarle and the timeframe in which this film exists via a clever non-diegetic monologue that brings Jarle outside of the story before then dropping him neatly back in.

And then there’s the soundtrack. Free of any Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, this is a soundtrack that not only firmly cements the film in it’s timeframe but will also take any child of the 80s right back to their awful fashion disaster days with it’s REM, Stones Roses and Joy Division tracks, so much so you’ll probably find yourself have to rewind as you’ve discovered you’ve gone off in a daydream and missed a big chunk of the story.

All in all I have to say I misjudged “The Man Who Loved Yngve”. Much rawer and stripped back than many of teen angst / coming out  films out there, the combination of fresh direction and strong character development makes this film far more touching than if Hollywood had ever got it’s hands on, though if I had one complaint about it it’s the end, which is far less of a end and more a dribble.

The Man Who Loved Yngve is available to preorder for release on September 20th from Amazon.