Hearts

A film by Oyvind Sandberg

This inspiring love story from Norway follows Kare Morten Watne and his girlfriend Maybritt Stusdal Matre, both of whom are affected with Down Syndrome. They go on dates, fall in love and become engaged, much to the despair of Kare's loving but meddling mother.

One day Maybritt discovers that Kare isn't wearing his engagement ring and believes Kare has broken up with her. The course of true love is never easy, but this has a happy ending. Through the peacemaking skills of Kare's best friend Per Erling Grindstein, who also has Down Syndrome, the loving couple is brought back together.

The delightful quality of the film is in showing how people with disabilities are accepted and welcomed in this society. Kare and Per Erling are rabid fans of their local soccer team and help out with the practice games and matches. The soccer players display warmth and acceptance towards the two men who are fully assimilated into their society. One sees the exceptionally high level of care those with Down Syndrome in Norway receive. Indeed, Norway's highly developed system of social organization has attained the highest level yet achieved in the world. For the past four years, the U.N. has ranked the country as the best place in the world to live.

When the film was awarded the Grand Prix for the best film of the international competition at the Ukrainian Documentary Film Festival in Kiev in April, 2007, the judges wrote, "We praise the courage of the director in following his subjects bravely wherever they led him, in having faith in ordinary heroes and breaking common stereotypes by touching our hearts."

60 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $85.

IDFA Silver Wolf Award Nominee, 2006
Gullruten Award for Best TV Documentary, 2007
Best Documentary and Audience Award, Norwegian Documentary Film Festival Volda, 2006
Best Documentary,. Norwegian Short Film Festival, Grimstad, 2006