Soothing, quiet retreat into another world surprisingly not cramped despite the American/NY angle (at the funeral the flautist reminds those attending that he's the only Norwegian present). Or perhaps that counterpoint lies in the oxymoron of the title: bustling calm, frenetic stasis. The lack of glamour is a balm. As surnames, Sharp and Slate obliquely fall into the complementary colours blue/yellow at the basis of Wnendt and Nils's art, and they are so lovely together. Refreshingly understated. One of the ironies is that the New York our protagonists hail from extends daytime by artificial means, never sleeping. Here in Norway the sun never sleeps, and it is day all night. The ubiquitous yellows of Van Gogh are a tad cliché but the idea works, again because yellow complements the grey-green hue of the world outside the barn. Wonderful the goat usurping her home as pet, and the supermarket clerk as Fran's model, who aptly states how she love trolls: strong and independent like herself. If you want an equally quirky Norwegian take on trolls, hunt down Trolljegeren (2010, The Troll Hunters), a modest self-parody of national humour oddly billed as "drama fantasy horror" probably to garner a young audience. It's anything but.
Review of The Sunlit Night
