In what should be one of the most joyous moments in the life of Nils Dickman as he receives the Citizen of the Year award in Norway as a Scandinavian immigrant turns into the worst as tragedy strikes him and his family. The loss of his son Ingvar to a drug overdose leads Nils, played by Stellan Skarsgård, to face withdrawal toward him from his wife and suicidal thoughts entering his mind in the subtitled film with the American name “In Order of Disappearance.” ( “Kraftidioten” is the Norweigen title.) It is at that moment when Nils discovers that his son was killed and this sets off a series of vengeful actions that many fathers would set upon if they learned the same thing.
This extraordinary film that screened at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, written by Kim Fupz Aakeson and directed by Hans Petter Moland, combines great acting, tremendous writing and splashes of comedy that will keep you glued to your seat from beginning to end. One of the best performances in the film is turned in by Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, who plays Greven, also known as The Count., who is the head of a huge drug organization who also happens to be a vegan. He is a larger-than-life character who has the potential to blow up at any moment, including at the mention of the cereal Fruit Loops in one scene.
The breathtaking scenery, shot in the mountains of Norway, makes the film visually appealing as well. Some of the comedic touches include a black and white screen every time a character is killed in the film, which happens quite often. Confusion by The Count leads to a war with a rival gang of Serbian drug dealers who are out for revenge, with Nils trapped in the middle.