Gavagai

Name: Gavagai
Genre: Drama
Released: August 3, 2018
Duration: 90 min
Rating: 91
Cast: Amel Ibisevic, Andreas Lust, Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Ask Aygin Gaup, Edith Søli

2018

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 7 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 4 Ratings

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6.0

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6.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 4 Ratings

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Gavagai (US Trailer 1)

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Movie Details & Credits

Shadow Distribution | Release Date: August 3, 2018 | Not Rated

Starring: Amel Ibisevic, Andreas Lust, Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Ask Aygin Gaup, Edith Søli, Einar Andreas Søli, Essra Berge, Halvor Sandnes, Hellek Sandnes, Ina Nena Schick, Joakim Nango, Jostein A.B. Sandvik, Karin Mustvedt-Plüs, Kim Robin Svartdal, Marie Helga Helgetveit, Marja Susanne Sipelä Solvang, Mikkel Gaup, Miriam Berge, Mona Eiris, Rune Samuelsen, Susan S. Solvang, Thomas Tufte, Tore Dale

Summary: German businessman Carsten Neuer travels to Norway to finish the impossible translation of some Norwegian poems by Tarjei Vesaas into Chinese, a project of his late wife. He hires Niko, a down-on-his-luck tour guide, to drive him to the poet’s home and places of inspiration to stimulate his own translation. On the road, the ghost ofGerman businessman Carsten Neuer travels to Norway to finish the impossible translation of some Norwegian poems by Tarjei Vesaas into Chinese, a project of his late wife. He hires Niko, a down-on-his-luck tour guide, to drive him to the poet’s home and places of inspiration to stimulate his own translation. On the road, the ghost of Carsten’s wife appears to him, while Niko struggles with the sudden consequences of his girlfriend’s pregnancy. On this journey, two very different men come to realize the transforming power of love, the limits of language, and the human need for friendship.… Expand

Director: Rob Tregenza

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 90 min

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

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Critic Reviews

100

Sheri Linden

Nov 11, 2018

Meditative and dreamlike yet gem-sharp, director Rob Tregenza's fifth feature in 30 years is an elegantly told story that churns with emotion beneath its deceptive stillness. Read full review

100

Chuck Bowen

Jul 31, 2018

Rob Tregenza's film is rooted in the communion as well as the sensorial challenges of savoring art. Read full review

100

Richard Brody

Jul 30, 2018

Gavagai is an extraordinary and memorable film; its strong and clear emotional refinement arises from a rare force of imagination, a rare power of observation, a rare cinematic sense to fuse them, and a rare skill to realize them together. Read full review

100

Justin Chang

Aug 9, 2018

A story of implacable grief, unlikely companionship and stunning landscapes, Gavagai is as beautifully singular a movie as I’ve seen all year. Read full review

Simi Horwitz

Aug 1, 2018

Gavagai is a curiosity and nonetheless remarkable in its own way. Slow (very slow) paced, it’s a meditative, haunting and lyrical film that explores the many layers of love and grief. Read full review

Alan Scherstuhl

Aug 1, 2018

Gavagai offers moments of sublimity unlike anything you’ll see in most contemporary movies. It also tests the patience. In that key respect, it’s much like life: You have to throw yourself into it to reap its rewards. Read full review

Glenn Kenny

Aug 2, 2018

This is a high-minded and carefully composed film about, among other things, the inability of words in any language to satisfactorily communicate states of being. There are pleasures and intellectual provocations to be had here. But its attempted effects fall flat a little too often. Read full review

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Mixed:

User Reviews

Bestpony

Jun 11, 2020

It offers some stunningly beautiful landscapes, a slow, relaxing pace, and charmingly shaky camera work, but the narrative can't quite support the weight of its lofty ideas. Gavagai is structured like a road trip but the two main characters don't talk very much, and the fragments of poems weIt offers some stunningly beautiful landscapes, a slow, relaxing pace, and charmingly shaky camera work, but the narrative can't quite support the weight of its lofty ideas. Gavagai is structured like a road trip but the two main characters don't talk very much, and the fragments of poems we get instead of dialogue, though pleasant, aren't interesting enough to hold the viewer's attention for 90 minutes. I enjoyed my time with this film but I feel that I won't remember any of it a year from now.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Brent_Marchant

Feb 3, 2019

An ambitious though not always effective attempt at celebrating the works of famed Norwegian poet Tarjei Vesaas and the ideas espoused through his writings. The film's inventive though sometimes overly cryptic narrative and cinematography tell an intriguing though somewhat underdevelopedAn ambitious though not always effective attempt at celebrating the works of famed Norwegian poet Tarjei Vesaas and the ideas espoused through his writings. The film's inventive though sometimes overly cryptic narrative and cinematography tell an intriguing though somewhat underdeveloped story of love, death, loss, friendship and carrying on set in the context of a road trip buddy movie in the wilds of the Norwegian landscape. Nice sentiments and heartfelt emotions run through the film, but sometimes they go on far too long, with much-needed editing to make them more manageable -- and meaningful. Enjoy it as much as you can, but don't be surprised if it starts to try your patience after a while.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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