Hans Petter Moland Talks ‘Epic Love Story’ That Defined the Nation as Norway’s Oscar Submission ‘Growth of the Soil’ Debuts Trailer: ‘It Resonates with All of Us’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Norway’s Oscar submission “Growth of the Soil,” based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel, has already become a significant event in its native country. Even before premieres at TIFF and San Sebastián. 

“After I finished the film, I went sailing for a couple of weeks and was off the coast,” says director Hans Petter Moland, downplaying the praise. 

“It’s wonderful when people engage with what you’ve made because it’s that dialogue that matters, not the work itself. It’s about very simple things: about a man and a woman, and the beginning of a civilization. It resonates with all of us.” 

“Growth of the Soil” premieres its exclusive trailer here:

Molland – known for Stellan Skarsgård starrers “In Order of Disappearance” and “A Somewhat Gentle Man” – took “tremendous liberties” in adapting Knut Hamsun’s 1917 masterpiece. 

“When you approach a work of this scale, you can’t be too respectful or too admiring. You have to decide what its core is and then liberate yourself from it. It may sound arrogant, but I no longer know which dialogues are Hamsun’s and which are mine!” 

Moland wrote the script with Gard B. Eidsvold. “This book takes the pulse of that indescribable feeling of being Norwegian. Obviously, nobody lives like that today, but in ‘Growth of the Soil,’ nature is a dictator. It sets the premise for their existence.” 

Produced by 4 ½ Fiction (Norway) in co-production with Scanbox Entertainment (Denmark), it’s sold by Beta Cinema. 

The story follows Isak (Herbert Nordrum, seen in “The Worst Person in the World” and the upcoming “Sense and Sensibility”), who finds a place in the middle of nowhere where he decides to settle down. There, he meets Inger (Asta Kamma August from “The Hypnosis” and the other TIFF premiere “What Lies Between Us”), ostracized by her people, and together, they build a life. Over the years, they grow up – and grow apart. 

“It’s an epic love story. It’s about a lifelong connection and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. Their relationship didn’t start with passion. Necessity, hunger and cold brought them together. It’s an arranged marriage – by nature. But out of that comes affection.”

“If you left people alone without societal pressures, many of our sexual taboos would probably disappear. They would just explore each other. Here, they only have each other to relate to and they are very free. Later, with their own expectations of growth and prosperity, they limit themselves without realizing it.” 

Inger is the one who “brings capitalism to the farm.”  “It used to be a joint project. They had to make the farm thrive and raise the kids. Then she learns a trade, and suddenly, she’s an independent woman. She has an appetite for everything she didn’t get to experience before. I understand her completely.”

In the film, set in the early 20^th century, they go through a lot together, including terrible heartbreak. But to Molland, many of their struggles aren’t that different from those plaguing modern couples. 

“What makes the film very universal is that two people who start out loving each other are also capable of hurting each other,” he notes.

“If you’re a modern couple, you have a collective life that you try to build. Then kids move out, and what’s left? Their world is changing so fast, but dynamite isn’t that different from AI. As humans, we are incapable of seeing the long-term consequences of our decisions. Even the best of intentions can lead to the worst of outcomes.”

His characters, especially Isak, find it difficult to express themselves. But that doesn’t bother Molland very much. 

“I like to make movies, not ‘talkies’,” he laughs.

“I believe that television is polluting the language of cinema. People watch on their iPads or phones, so the dialogue tells them exactly what happens on screen. To me, there’s a great joy in using as few devices as possible. Also, it’s a story about two shy people. They don’t have any social skills.” 

He adds: “Many films today are too preoccupied with complicated plots, which just tires me out. This is instantly relatable because it’s about human beings. And human beings are interesting.”