Ninjababy
In Yngvild Sve Flikke’s razor-sharp comedy, a young pregnant woman’s life becomes a little more complex with the arrival of an opinionated animated avatar.
Rakel (Kristine Kujath Thorp) lives life to the full. An avid beer drinker and regular party animal, she is less interested in a relationship than the odd enjoyable pickup; one of whom happens to be aikido instructor Mos (Nader Khademi). Weeks after a fun night together, Rakel’s friends notice her appetite has increased. As have the size of her breasts. And then there’s the noticeable change around her waist. It soon becomes clear that the precautions she and Mos took might night have been enough. And no sooner does she contend with the possibility of being pregnant, a concept that soon becomes a certainty, a growing, increasingly irritating animated character appears to her throughout her waking day.
Based on Inga H. Sætre’s graphic novel Fallteknikk (Fall Technique) and written by her with Flikke and Johan Fasting, Ninjababy makes the average Hollywood comedy about pregnancy (Knocked Up, Juno) look tame. The film’s frankness is refreshing, and Thorp brilliantly conveys Rakel’s wildly free, fun-loving spirit. But its trump card is Flikke’s ability to balance comic outrage within a sweet tale that simultaneously avoids cynicism and sentimentality. It’s one of the year’s best comedies. See it here before the inevitable Hollywood remake.