It’s Only Make Believe

IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE is not just a strikingly visual tale of love and longing; it’s also a heart-pounding thriller. Jenny has a romantic nature and the face of an angel, but she’s prone to making bad choices. Just when she’s found true love, her life explodes, and she’s doing time for murder. Free after ten years, she struggles to clean up her act enough to get her daughter Merete back from her foster mother. Jenny moves into a ramshackle house that she attacks with a scrub brush and a vengeance, stealing paint while simultaneously applying for a loan from a smitten banker. She paints a magic forest in Merete’s room so they can live a new innocent life together. But a gangster from her past tries to force Jenny into carrying drugs, and when she refuses, he threatens to take Merete. Jenny’s fierce protection of her daughter leads to an unforgettable climax by the sea. (In Norwegian with subtitles) —B.B.