I love Norwegian director Bent Hamer and this film is hands-down one of the best Christmas movies I've ever seen. For me, it's up there with the original "Bishops Wife" and "It's a Wonderful Life", a modern classic for those of us who prefer wistfulness to treacle. It's funny in that wry, Scandinavian way. It also has all of the elements of a traditional Christmas story. There's plenty of romance, both blossoming and fading. There's a bright star and a baby born under less than ideal circumstances. It's a supremely wintery story that features snowplows even bigger than ones we have here in my part of Canada. Its final selling point is Maria Mena's beautiful song "Home for Christmas", which plays over the closing credits. The only downside is that this film is super hard to find, but aren't most things worth having?
Review of Home for Christmas
