Let me preface this by saying that I'm not actually a fan of author Bret Easton Ellis or, more specifically, of the films based on his works having generally found them to be rather too smug for their own good. But that said there's no denying that when it comes to the dark underbelly of capitalism Ellis is the guy, the one author who saw things as being as hollow as they really were and was unafraid to dive into the murky depths. And while Ellis was very much a child of the 80s there's no denying that the current economic woes make his approach very much relevant once again and so, we come to Rottenetter ...
The latest film to come out of Norway's Paradox - home to Erik Poppe's films and recent ScreenAnarchy faves such as Fatso - Rottenetter is a slick journey into greed as brought to us by director Arild Østin Ommundsen, whose Monstertorsdag got a fair bit of notice in these pages a few years back. Kristoffer Joner turns up in a key support role here - always a sign of quality - but the real selling point is the just-released trailer, a perfect blend of gloss and rot.
We’re in 2008. Stavanger is no longer a small fishing town on the West Coast. The town may pride itself on titles like “oil capital” and “culture capital”. People are wealthier, the cars more expensive and the houses more luxurious. The old wooden houses are demolished to give way to large residential complexes and gigantic food festivals. French acrobats dominate the cultural life. And behind it all, the global financial crisis is looming. In the middle of this materialistic everyday reality, we meet Jonny Kristiansen, an up-and-coming 25 year old broker. Hungry for money and success, he is pulled into an unscrupulous financial world. With cigars, champagne and exclusive escort girls, Jonny takes off and aims at the top of the finance pyramid. Jonny’s goal is to become best, richest and most powerful, whatever the cost. But if someone wins, others will have to lose. Is the price worth paying?(NFI)
Check the trailer below the break!