The jaded, clumsy Jomar has been isolating himself from the world and wallowing in his dissatisfaction with life ever since an accident prematurely terminates his ski career and his girlfriend runs away with his best friend. He takes on an uninteresting job as lift operator at a ski resort and surrounds himself with alcohol and National Geographic documentaries; sometimes he suffers from panic attacks. One day Jomar is told that he actually has a son, who is now four and lives in the North Pole. Jomar is initially confused and unmoved but decides, at the moment he accidentally sets his hut on fire, to go find out who his son is. He embarks on a long, strenuous journey through the snow and cold and encounters many a comical character who, in their various ways, bring Jomar back to life. Whether it is a lonesome girl who defies her grandmother and tends to Jomar after he gets snow-blind, or an old quasi-hermit who gives him his credit card before facing his death, they all empower Jomar with a sense of hope that he has all but lost. A confidently shot, subtle film with strong performances from lead character Anders Baasmo Christiansen as well as Marte Aunemo as the young girl, Nord is heartfelt, honest, mature but bustling with childlike enthusiasm and purity and of course, full of Nordic humour. It calls itself an "anti-depressive" "off-road" movie, and it does deliver -- it lifted my spirits and helped me combat the cold, snowy Berlin, even though one would've thought that heaps of snow in a movie tend to make one feel colder. This film may just be the hot chocolate you need on a cold winter night.
