SummaryGerman 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 wif... Read More
Directed By:Rob Tregenza
Written By:Kirk Kjeldsen, Rob Tregenza
Gavagai
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
91
User score
Generally Favorable
7.4
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
86% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
14% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Nov 11, 2018
100
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.
Aug 9, 2018
100
A story of implacable grief, unlikely companionship and stunning landscapes, Gavagai is as beautifully singular a movie as I’ve seen all year.
User score
Generally Favorable
86% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Jun 11, 2020
7
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 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.
Feb 3, 2019
7
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 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.
Jul 31, 2018
100
Rob Tregenza's film is rooted in the communion as well as the sensorial challenges of savoring art.
Jul 30, 2018
100
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.
Aug 1, 2018
85
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.
Aug 1, 2018
80
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.
Aug 2, 2018
60
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.
Production Company:
- Gestell Motion Picture Company
- Lichtbogen Filmproduktion
- Properfilm
Release Date:Aug 3, 2018
Duration:1 h 30 m
Website:
