Fatso (2008) - Arild Frohlich

Rino Hanssen is a 30-something virgin who lives alone in an apartment which his dad co-pays.  Rino is a very lonely person, whose only friend is is a hateful loser himself, Filip.  Rino spends nearly every waking second thinking about sex, yet he is absolutely horrified of any real type of communication with woman.  All of this slowly changes when Rino's dad decides to rent one of the rooms in Rino's apartment to Malin, a young, free-spirited woman whose Rino's bitter opposite.  Arild Frohlich's Fatso is a very funny sex comedy that succeeds at being both entertaining and also surprisingly touching.  Lots of time is spent in the head of Rino and the film does a great job at capturing the awkwardness and insecurity of the character.  Everything Rino does early on in the film, from his inability to even have a conversation with a female, to how awkward he is in any social situation, feels incredibly genuine.  Fatso's visual style is worth mentioning, with a very bright color palette that uses precise framing and compositions to create comedy which works surprisingly well in this comedic-driven setting.  In fact some of the visual style bares similarities to Wes Anderson's films in the stage and set designs as well.  Rino's best attribute is both the understanding and admiration which it has for it's lead protagonist as well as the relationship which unfolds between Rino and Malin.  They are complete opposites, yet they grow closer to one and other because each provides something which the other lacked.  Watching the relationship unfold, I was surprised at just how tender and well executed it was.  Make no mistake, Rino is a raunchy sex-comedy that delivers on lots of outrageous moments, but what elevates the film is its ability to touch the heart.

8/10

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