Sønner av Norge er en av tre norske spillefilmer som blir vist under filmfestivalen i Toronto. Nå har de første internasjonale anmeldelsene begynt å dukke opp på nettet, og mottagelsen er god.

– The story of a 13 year-old boy coping with the death of his mother and the failings of his liberal father in late 1970s Norway balances wry laughs with darker undertones to create a likable film with the potential to become a crowdpleaser in Scandinavian territories, skriver Screen i sin anmeldelse.

– Director Jens Lien has created a compelling and surprising film in Sons Of Norway, a remarkably observant and detailed coming of age story that embraces the chaos of life and refuses to offer up any easy answers. Though rife with extreme characters and situations – the Banana Christmas only scratches the surface of the familial quirks here – it is a film that remains incredibly grounded, the characters being no less flesh and blood people for being odd. It is a film that captures and era without glamorizing or parodying it, one that recognizes the absurdity of its times while remaining focused on the confusion of growing up in the midst of emotional trauma when adult figures are incapable of providing any sort of guidance or boundaries, skriver netttedet Twitch i sin anmeldelse.

Begge anmeldelsene trekker spesielt frem rolleprestasjonene til Sven Nordin og Åsmund Høeg.

– Lien builds his story on a the back of stellar performances from his entire cast with Asmund Hoeg leading the way as young Nikolaj and Sven Nordin as his father Magnus. And thanks to those strong performances he is free to push out into comedic territory – a summer vacation to a nudist camp being a prime example – without ever damaging the very serious and tender heart of the film, skriver Twitch.