Teenage Life Interrupted

synopsis

An unexplained epidemic of chronic fatigue, malaise, and limb paralysis is crippling the lives of dozens of Norwegian teenage girls. Two specialists from the University Hospital in Tromsø are offering an unusual treatment. Experienced paediatrician Hans Petter Fundingsrud and child psychiatrist Elin Drivenes are bucking the dominant trend of instant medication. They offer girls liberation from the captivity of social expectations and the web of social networks in the form of a holistic approach, sincere interest, and trust. The paths to recovery are underpinned by shots of the contemplative Norwegian landscape and the doctors' search for their own mental balance in their mentally demanding clinical practice.

“It's not enough to tell these young people: we've examined you and found nothing wrong. That's like saying: you're not in any pain. You need to say: we've examined you and found nothing that can be operated on or treated, but we understand that you're in pain and we'll look into it.” — Hans Petter Fundingsrud

biography

Åse Svenheim Drivenes (born 1977) is a Norwegian documentary filmmaker from Tromsø. She worked for many years with Médecins Sans Frontières, filming in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Her previous films include Our Man in Kirkenes (2010), I Am Kuba (2014), and Maiko: Dancing Child (2015). She is also involved in film education, teaching creative documentary filmmaking at the Norwegian Film School.

film details

director:	Åse Svenheim Drivenes
producer:	Kari Anne Moe, Gudmundur Gunnarsson

contact

Kari Anne Moe/Fuglene
kari.anne@fuglene.no