''Om Tilla'' (About Tilla) is a Norwegian drama film from 1963 directed by

Arne Skouen Arne Skouen (18 October 1913 – 24 May 2003) was a Norwegian journalist, author, film director and film producer. Biography Arne Skouen was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. His parents were Peder Nikolai Skouen (1883-1978) and Jenn ...

. Skouen wrote the screenplay, which was based on his 1959 novel ''Bare om barn''. It contained a series of articles from the newspaper ''

Verdens Gang (), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norway, Norwegian Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, declining from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. Nevertheless, ''VG'' is ...

'', in which Skouen pointed out that children with

intellectual disabilities Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability (in the United Kingdom), and formerly mental retardation (in the United States), Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010).Archive is a generalized neurodevelopmental ...

and children with behavioral difficulties did not receive sufficient financial support or professional help.

Plot

The child psychologist Ivar visits Tilla's mother, Maria, one day at the Botanical Garden in Oslo. Ivar had Tilla under observation a few months earlier, but Maria did not return with her daughter. The child psychologist manages to persuade Maria to come with Tilla to the children's psychiatric clinic so that they can start treating her. At the clinic, they meet the chief physician Mimi Backer. Tilla has not spoken in a year and a half. In the observation room at the clinic, the first small glimmer of light falls on the mystery. There, the girl builds up her secret world through toys she chooses to express herself.

Cast

Eva Henning Eva Henning (born Eva Wetlesen; 10 May 1920 – 18 April 2016) was a Swedish stage and movie actress. Career Born in Newark, New York, US, Henning was trained at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school (1938–40) in Sweden and made her f ...

as Maria *

Toralv Maurstad Toralv Maurstad (24 November 1926 – 4 November 2022) was a Norwegian stage, film, and television actor. He was the son of actor Alfred Maurstad and actress Tordis Maurstad (née Witzøe), and half-brother of actress Mari Maurstad. His screen ...

as Ivar *

Wenche Foss Eva Wenche Steenfeldt Stang (5 December 1917 – 28 March 2011), better known as Wenche Foss (), was a leading Norwegian actress of stage, screen and television. Personal life Wenche Foss was born to engineer Christian August Steenfeldt-Foss ( ...

as Mimi Backer, the chief physician *

Synne Skouen Synne Skouen (born 8 August 1950) is a Norwegian music writer and composer. Biography Skouen was born in Oslo. She studied at the Vienna Academy of Music with Alfred Uhl and Erwin Ratz for composition and Dieter Kaufmann and Friedrich Cerha fo ...

as Tilla, Maria's daughter *

Egil Lorck Egil or Egill is a masculine given name derived from Old Norse. It may refer to: Characters *Egil (Hymiskvida), farmer in the poem ''Hymiskvida'' *Egil, brother of Volund, hero of Völundarkviða and the Thidreks saga *Egil One-Hand, hero from the ...

as Bernhard, a gardener *

Tore Foss Tore Foss (21 February 1901 – 6 August 1968) was a Norwegian singer, actor and theatre director. He made his stage début at Chat Noir in 1927. He played at Balkongen from 1927 to 1928, and later worked for the National Theatre, Det Nye ...

as Haugen, the ship inspector * Erik Gløersen as Terje *

Johannes Eckhoff Johannes Nicolai Eckhoff (26 April 1919 – 26 October 2007) was a Norwegian actor. He made his stage debut at Trøndelag Teater in 1939, and had later worked for Centralteatret, Det Nye Teater and Riksteatret. He participated in the film ''Englan ...

as the school psychologist * Pål Virik as a teenager *

Roy Bjørnstad Roy Bjørnstad (September 29, 1925 – November 25, 2005) was a Norwegian actor. Career Stage Bjørnstad made his debut in 1945 at the People's Theater in Sweden. Throughout his career, he was associated with several theaters in Norway, inc ...

as a gardener *

Kai Remlov Kai Remlov (born December 30, 1946) is a Norwegians, Norwegian actor. He has been engaged with the National Theatre (Oslo), National Theater in Oslo since 1973, including at its Torshov Theater. He has played over a hundred characters. He played ...

as a teenager *

Bonne Gauguin Bonne Gauguin (born Ingeborg Kathrine Winther-Hjelm Jelstrup, November 28, 1910 – July 12, 1989) was a Norwegian actress and dance instructor. Gauguin trained as a dance teacher in Germany. In the 1930s she moved to Trondheim and made her de ...

References

External links

*
''Om Tilla''
at the

National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway () was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened in 2005. Prior to the e ...

''Om Tilla''
at the

Swedish Film Database The Swedish Film Database () is an Internet database about Swedish films, published by the Swedish Film Institute The Swedish Film Institute () (SFI) is a statutory body located in Stockholm, Sweden that supports the Swedish film industry. Fo ...

1963 films Norwegian drama films 1960s Norwegian-language films Films directed by Arne Skouen 1963 drama films {{Norway-film-stub