Martin Sofiedal’s 4-minute satire short film ‘Say Hi’ shines bright with its original narrative, gorgeous setting and farcical characters. Written and directed by Sofiedal, the Norwegian short features an ensemble cast of Eirik Hallert (Mikkel), Karoline Bentzen (Stine), Anders Kristiansen (Thomas) and Maiken Schjøll Frisch (Agnette).
The comedy opens as 4 friends socialise in a park, but normality turns upside down when Mikkel refuses to greet an absent friend (Jesper) – who has passed on his regards. Tension swiftly rises as the others demand his greeting, much to Mikkel’s opposition. The narrative progresses in its outlandish nature when a red dot from a sniper is positioned on Mikkel’s forehead. Mikkel receives a government phone-call requesting he respond to the greeting (as law permits) because it’s Norwegian courtesy to do so.
‘Say Hi’ succeeds in its unusual, offbeat narrative alone. Ingenuity is scarce within fiction and we applaud Sofiedal’s fresh story-telling – albeit farcical. The cinematography (Øyvind Svanes Lunde) aids the narrative with intense close-ups that equally showcase a professional finish. A Norwegian language film with praiseworthy performances by its cast. Martin Sofiedal is a filmmaker to keep-an-eye out for; a talent unafraid to explore new concepts. This short film is highly recommended.
