SCA23 Norwegian Dream

Synopsis

Nineteen-year-old Robert (Hubert Milkowski) is a Polish immigrant working at a fish factory on the coast of Norway. Far from home, he plans to work hard and pay off his mother’s debts. Here, he meets a local colleague, the openly gay and aspiring drag queen Ivar, for whom Robert develops feelings. Caught between his feelings for Ivar and his fear of losing the security of a place in the Polish worker group, he hides his sexual orientation and keeps his relationship with Ivar a secret.

When a labour dispute breaks out at the factory, Ivar, a member of the workers union, helps the Polish workers start a strike for better working conditions. So, Robert is faced with a tough decision, as he must choose whether to continue working to solve his financial troubles or join the strike with Ivar.

Set against the backdrop of economic migration, Leiv Igor Devold’s first feature film Norwegian Dream is an observant, queer coming-of-age drama about the search for identity, internalised shame and the difficulty in loving others when you cannot accept yourself.