“A real blast…a Norwegian comedy of charm and wisdom”—this February, see the new film Everybody Hates Johan /Alle Hater Johan this February (dir. Hallvar Witzø, Norway, 2022) at Scandinavia House! Small-town loner Johan Grande expresses his feelings with explosives — while some people use beautiful words, he’s more likely to grab a stick of dynamite. What could be better than taking cover together and holding hands, watching things blow up from a safe distance? Orphaned at a young age and raised by his aunt with his wild horse Ella, this has made it difficult to fit in in Titran, on the windswept ridgeline of Trøndelag, which has never fully accepted the Grande family as its own. And it makes it even harder to act on his feelings for Solvor — the girl next door, who he accidentally blew up a bit during his younger days. Will his journey to win her heart go up in flames?

This impressive feature debut from Hallvar Witzø has been acclaimed as “a folktale and a saga…a sort of Molotovian romance” (Sydney Morning Herald).

About the Director

Hallvar Witzø (b.1984) has a degree in directing from The Norwegian Film School. He won the Student Academy Award for best foreign film with Tuba Atlantic. He received a Palm d’Or nomination for the short film, Yes We Love, at Cannes Film Festival 2014. Everybody Hates Johan is his feature debut.