Upperdog
The half-siblings Axel and Yanne are adopted to Norway as young children and are separated on arrival. They grow up in opposite parts of Oslo, he in a wealthy west-side family and she in an average home on the east side, without knowing the other’s fate.
Production Facts
- Original Title: Upperdog
- Country of Origin: Norway
- Production Year: 2009
- First Release: 28 Augusti 2009
- Language: Norwegian
- Genre: Comedy/Drama
- Format: 35 mm
- Sound: Dolby SRD
- Duration: 100 min
- Director: Sara Johnsen
- Cast: Agnieszka Grochowska, Hermann Sabado, Bang Chau, Mads Sjøbård Pettersen
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Mads Sjøbård Pettersen as Per
Mads, 25 years old, from Straumen in Nordland is one of this year’s most exciting new film talents, appearing in both “North” and “Cold Prey 2”. His role as the Afghanistan veteran Per in UPPERDOG is his most impressive film performance so far. Mads Sjøgård Pettersen holds a bachelor’s degree from the Norwegian Theatre Academy. -
Agnieszka Grochowska as Maria
Agnieszka, the recognised Polish 29 year old actress has starred in a number of films, both in Poland and abroad, and is considered one of Poland’s most important young acting talents. Agnieszka Grochowska was selected as Shooting Star 2007 at the Berlin Film Festival. UPPERDOG is her first Norwegian feature. -
Hermann Sabado as Axel
Hermann Sabado, 27 years old, first met director Sara Johnsen at a screen acting course in the spring of 2007. Sara immediately spotted Hermann’s brilliant potential, and he was chosen for the role of Axel in UPPERDOG at an early stage. Hermann is a graduate of the Faculty of Performing Arts at the Oslo National Academy and has received several awards for his performances. -
Bang Chau as Yanne
Bang Chau, 30 years old, was born and raised in Norway as the youngest of seven children. After a colourful background in the fashion and restaurant industry, she is now a songwriter, singer and actress. Bang is a vocalist in the Danish band “Hess Is More” which had an international hit with the song “Yes Boss” and has been nominated several times to the Danish Grammy Awards.
In 2005 Sara Johnsen made her feature film debut with “Kissed by Winter” 2005.
The film won the prestigious AFI Grand Jury Prize in 2005, was the Norwegian
Academy Awards entry in 2006, and won the Norwegian Film Critics Award in 2006.
Sara Johnsen received the Nordic Debut Amanda Award in Haugesund in 2006 and was awarded for Best Direction at the Norwegian “Kanonprisen”.
Besides directing, Johnsen worked as a teacher in dramaturgy, visual storytelling and in screen acting. Sara Johnsen has also written two novels published by Gyldendal. The first one in 2005 called ”He knows something she shoud try”, the second ”White Man” published 2008.
UPPERDOG is a story from contemporary Oslo. Four young, charming, hot-blooded, self-centred and passionate people are forced to reconsider their view of themselves and the world around them. They lose balance, lose themselves in the confusion between truth and lies.
The story has a serious note: a soldier has done wrong in Afghanistan, an adopted boy misses his sister. I wish to portray the serious as important and beautiful, and the humoristic as liberating and human.
UPPERDOG is about seeing other people, and not just yourself. About coming to terms with your own past. About the brother-sister relationship and worry for the ones you love. But above all, UPPERDOG is about the liberation which may be found in the love between two people.
Sara Johnsen – writer and director