In the second part of Dag Johan Haugerud's trilogy on intimacy, a heterosexual urologist and a homosexual male nurse discuss the possibilities of love without sex, and vice versa.
'Unconventional' couples share their first encounters in their relationship
We’re living in a period of transition when it comes to relationship politics, as more people are creating romantic and sexual lives for themselves outside the prescribed trajectory of love, marriage, procreation, and nuclear family. The rise of LGBT identities into the mainstream has a lot to do with this, of course, but our collective understanding of opposite-sex relationships—once considered “normal”—is also evolving, recognizing the complexities of bisexuality and open relationships. On-screen romance, however, has largely lagged behind this curve, which is why Dag Johan Haugerud’s new film “Love,” in its quiet, conversational way, feels radical: a tender, gentle relationship study that values casual sex as much as it does the search for a soulmate. Following two very different medical professionals on their contrasting quests for intimacy, it’s a rare romantic drama that admits that one person’s “happily ever after” isn’t necessarily the other’s.
Norwegian novelist and filmmaker Haugerud's fourth feature, "Love," is the second in a planned trilogy of standalone but complementary films exploring contemporary sexuality and relationship customs. The first, "Sex," chronicled the domestic aftermath of a happily married, ostensibly heterosexual man impulsively having sex with a male stranger and confessing to his wife. Despite their titles, "Sex" and "Love" are not separately defined by those terms, as both films explore how the concepts can diverge and overlap in matters of the heart. (It remains to be seen what the third installment, "Dreams," will add to the subject.) Intriguing but elusive, "Sex" premiered earlier this year at the Panorama sidebar in Berlin, while "Love," arguably the warmer and more approachable of the two, is benefiting from the profile boost of a competition in Venice. That may prompt global arthouse distributors to start with "Love," which requires no familiarity with its predecessor.
Set in a sultry Scandinavian August, the film introduces its two protagonists in the slightly unsexy surroundings of an Oslo hospital urology department. Attractive, middle-aged doctor Marianne (Andrea Bræin Hovig) pragmatically talks to a patient about his prostate cancer diagnosis, while her younger, gritty nurse Tor (Tayo Cittadella Jacobsen) reassures him from the sidelines. As the doctor and nurse talk privately afterwards, we sense a candid, comfortable chemistry between them without any hint of anything non-platonic. It turns out that he’s gay, she’s straight, and though they’re both single, they’re on different quests: she’s into dating, while he’s into cruising, with little interest in anything long-term.
