Despite a relatively short filmography, Norwegian helmer Arild Frohlich has become a great favorite in these parts. He got things kicked off with Fatso, an enormously transgressive - and hysterically funny - adaptation of a cult novel that manages to balance the base urges of its lead character with an underpinning humantiy before moving on to a pair of hugely successful adaptations of Jo Nesbo's Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder books. And for his latest effort Frolich pairs Dag actor Atle Antonsen as a writer with a raging alcohol problem alongside a young boy with Tourette's Syndrome.
Grand Hotel is a warm comedy about a pompous, aging alcoholic and a tourettes-inflicted ten-year-old boy who are forced to spend a week together in a high-end hotel. The only thing these two have in common is that they are both difficult to like. During the week Axel and Noah are together, they form a unique friendship, pushing each other towards change. Grand Hotel is about daring to face your problems, and realizing that although sometimes life feels hopeless, we have the power to make the best of it.