Tomaas Ekkerr I really don't want to write a lot about this movie, because I have some feeling that I don't know too much about Nordic mentality.Like I said, to me, the whole movie seemed weird and usual at the same time. I tried to compare Isak and Folke with two regular humans ... one comes from the city or urban area, and another one is from a village being a little traditional or, being of that sort of a mentality. So, both of them, like every other human being, have prejudice and stereotypes about one another, and it's time to see how would they get along...What I loved the most is the whole process of getting to know each other, and that cold but yet warm care about one another, because in the end, we are all humans, nevertheless of where we come from...It was really heart warming story about new friendship.

bandw You are not likely ever to see anything like this coming out of Hollywood, in fact you are not likely to see anything like it period. This one is cause for celebration of small independent films. Reading the plot line, "Swedish company goes to Norway to study the kitchen habits of bachelors with the goal of designing the ideally efficient kitchen," does not inspire one to rush to see this. But, score one for the IMDb commentators whose positive reviews did encourage me to see it.Much territory is covered in this quiet movie. First there is the satirical observations on the modern passion to analyze and standardize. The bachelor under observation here, Isak, proves the foolishness of the standardization effort - he doesn't even cook in his kitchen. The observer assigned to Isak, Folke, starts out as a fastidious company man, but his time with Isak changes him, as well as Isak. The rule that the observer and observed are not to talk is ultimately breached - the taciturn Norwegian bachelor farmer and the lonely company man give proof to the fact that we humans are social animals. Through friendships we become stronger and more authentic. But, as noted here, newly formed friendships can disturb existing relationships and provoke jealousies.The rigidity of corporate management structures comes in for some lampooning and the whole credibility of any survey is brought into question. There is a sort of social Heisenberg uncertainty principle in play - the acts of the surveyor influence the responses of the surveyed.This is a truly one of a kind story, uniquely realized with subtle humor, wry observations, and endearing characters.

tdowd-2 Picture sitting in a Psych 101 class, and being informed that part of your grade is to take a research survey. A graduate student plunks a stack of paper in front of you, and the first question asks whether you are Person Type A, Person Type B, or Person type C. Being person type R, this presents you with some difficulty. If that graduate student had watched Kitchen Stories, he would have realized that if you try to limit people into pre-determined roles, you sometimes end up missing some of the amazing things that they can do. This message is a playful gibe at social science research, but it opens up to be a much broader topic than you originally think. The characters in this movie, who are very different people, become wonderfully warm, lovable people by simply listening to one another. This is a message that our world might need to hear a lot more of. I'm not sure the casting could have been any better, as the two leads assume their personalities just so perfectly.

Kaloyan Nedelchev Kitchen Stories (2003)it's abstract with its simplicity. One daily story, that can happen to everyone is schematized and deeply studied in the movie. Kitchen Stories shows us a scientific research using the methods of this research in the film language. Slow to the soul. Elegant presenting of the relationship between two lonely men. Very nice, warm and with subtle humour presents the nature of the people in the North: They have different way and view of life, but they can be real enough. Keeps the feeling of isolation and harmony. At the same time we can feel the 50's everywhere. From the beginning looks close to the daily films made in Eastern Europe years ago, but you notice that it's another, more special story.