KITCHEN STORIES

KITCHEN STORIES has an appealing idea: scientific observers study the kitchen patterns of rural Norwegian bachelors, but one observer gradually becomes friends with the isolated man he is assigned to watch. The friendship is intended to be tender and heartwarming.

The problem is the execution. The film is attractively shot in rural Norway, and its characters are interesting, but the slow pacing is its greatest challenge. The promised comedy may be difficult for American audiences to catch—or there may simply not be much of it.

The content calls for discernment, especially for families with younger viewers. For most people, this is better watched at home, if at all.

In the early 1950s, Swedish scientists send observers to rural Norway to study kitchen traffic patterns among bachelors. Each observer silently records the movements of a host from a pedestal in the kitchen, while living in a small camper nearby.

Folke is assigned to study Isak, an isolated and gruff old man who dislikes being watched. As the two men navigate the rules of the study and the discomfort of observation, an unexpected friendship begins to grow.

One star means the film has a few appealing qualities but does not deliver a satisfying entertainment experience. KITCHEN STORIES is nicely filmed, particularly in the rural areas of Norway, and its characters are interesting.

But the movie is painfully slow. The buddy-story premise sounds promising, yet the characters are not quite engrossing and the payoff is not worth the wait. The comedy also may not translate well to American audiences unfamiliar with the internal relations between Norwegians and Swedes.

KITCHEN STORIES presents a plainly humanist worldview. Its story begins with scientific study, modernization, inventions, appliances, and behavioral research intended to make daily life more efficient. But the film ultimately shifts attention from the study’s rules and professional observations to the human friendship that grows between two isolated men.

The movie values companionship, conversation, mutual care, and looking out for another person. Isak helps Folke when he is sick, and Folke becomes more than a silent observer. At the same time, the film treats the study’s imposed rules as obstacles to authentic human connection rather than exploring accountability before God.

The central longing is for friendship and meaningful human connection. Scripture affirms the importance of loving and caring for others: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31).

KITCHEN STORIES is attractively filmed and built around a potentially touching friendship, but its painful slowness overwhelms its modest virtues. Because of its content and limited entertainment value, the answer is WAIT FOR HOME. Families looking for a more engaging choice can begin here: