Intimacy is one of the treasured experiences of the last stage of life. In addition to knowing the love of relatives and friends, elders are sometimes surprised by strangers who work their way magically into their lives. The usual rituals and routines provide the comfort of the familiar but no matter how old we are, a part of us still enjoys a good surprise. This delightful Norwegian comedy written and directed by Bent Hamer savors the sweetness of intimacy in the lives of two lonely old men.
In the early 1950s, Sweden's Home Research Institute is sponsoring a project to determine ways to help families make the best use of their time in the kitchen. In a pitch for the most efficient kitchen, they state: "Instead of a housewife having to walk what is the equivalent of Sweden to the Congo during a year of cooking, she now only needs to walk to northern Italy in order to get food on the table." Enthused by their initial efforts with Swedish women, the zealous social scientists decide to set up a research project in the rural farm district of Landstad, Norway, which has a large number of single men. In the middle of winter, a small convoy of cars pulling small pea-green campers arrive in town. Each "observer" will camp out next to a man's home and is promised access any time of day or night.
When Folke (Tomas Norstrom) arrives at the farm of Isak (Joachim Calmeyer), the door is locked and it seems as if no one is home. The quiet resident, who thought he would get a horse is exchange for volunteering for this project, is unhappy when all he gets is a small horse figurine. Eventually the patient Folke gains access to the kitchen and sets up his tall observation chair in the corner so he can take notes in silence on every move that Isak makes. He is forbidden to talk with or fraternize in any way with the subject under study.
The host makes things very difficult for this stranger by secretly cooking in his bedroom. Upset over the constant assault on his privacy, he also drills a hole in the ceiling above Folke so he can watch him. But slowly these two lonely old men reach out to each other with little acts of kindness — sharing coffee and then tobacco — and then revealing more intimate maters about their lives and longings. Both men are uneasy with their emotions, and their reaching out to each other turns out to be moments of grace. The fallout from their breaking the rules of the research project has repercussions for Folke and Isak's neighbor Grant, his closest friend, who feels pushed aside by this stranger.
Kitchen Stories is an inventive and engaging drama that reveals how our hearts are gladdened by the sweet surprises of unexpected intimacies.
