Small children, big knives. A youth doc about young kids from the age of five working as cod tongue cutters in northern Norway.
In this charming and whimsical coming-of-age story, nine-year-old Ylva dreams of following in her family’s footsteps and earning money by working a season in the fisheries of northern Norway. 10-year-old Tobias, a highly skilled and ambitious tongue cutter, takes her under his wing and shows her the art. With slickers on and knives sharpened, the joyful duo dive into their work. Over time, they discover they have much in common, and as Tobias’ big dreams inspire Ylva, their bond grows. What could Tobias be saving his earnings for?
“My biggest motivation to make this film is that I want to discuss the fact that children in our part of the world are more and more protected from taking responsibility for themselves and their actions. The children in our film are let alone at the fish processing factory, given sharp knives and the possibility to earn their own money. In addition to this they will meet not only children their own age, but fishermen, seasonal workers from abroad, local youth and other grownups. The will also learn to relate to a boss, and to follow rules at a workplace from a very young age. This is a rare experience for children today, and I strongly believe this is missing in most children's lives.” (Solveig Melkeraaen)
Solveig S. Melkeraaen
Born in 1978, Melkeraaen holds a BA in television directing. Her best know film is the award-winning The Fabulous Fiff and Fam, but she has also directed numerous other documentaries, short fiction films and commissioned films for various charitable and official organisations. Tongue Cutters opened this year’s Tromsø Film Festival, and received considerable attention at the IDFA Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.
filmography
2005 Nest siste stopp (Next to Last Stop) (short)
2008 Bortreist for anledningen (Moving Time) (short)
2008 Statistikk (Statistics) (short doc.)
2009 Fabelaktige Fiff og Fam (The Fabulous Fiff and Fam) (short)
2010 Bankbussen (The Bankbus) (short)
2011 Livslang kjærlighet (Lifelong Love) (short doc.)
2014 Flink pike (Good Girl) (doc.)
2017 Tungeskjærerne (Tongue Cutters) (doc.)