Vibeke Løkkeberg has become one of Norway's most well known cultural personalities and leading feminist artists, as both actor, director, screenwriter and author. Her collective body of works bear witness of an artist with an ardent motivation for telling stories of how both everyday, and extraordinary, existence differs between men and women, predominantly focusing on experiences of female characters and the less delightful aspects of family life.
After starting out as a model and actress, Løkkeberg directed several short films in the first half of the seventies, before making her debut as a feature film director with The Revelation in 1977, a drama telling the story of a middle-aged housewife in an existential crisis, searching for meaning in her life. Often considered to be a somewhat modernist film, The Revelation also sparked a debate in Norwegian newspapers (popularly referred to as the “bum-feud”) on account of the films linking of themes such as women’s roles in society, female sexuality, death, and the visual depictions of the (aging) lead actress’ naked body.
Løkkeberg followed her debut with another drama, the more conventional Betrayal in 1981. Considered her most successful film, Betrayal was well received by both critics and the audience. Skin from 1986 did not fare as well: Being the most expensive Norwegian film produced thus far, it was met with high expectations, but received a massive slaughter by the (mainly male) Norwegian film critics. A Løkkeberg-film was yet again causing public debate in the newspapers, and although this time not as focused on a single theme as the case had been with The Revelation; the debate went on for about six months after the film's release. However, despite the negative reviews from Norwegian critics, the film was selected for the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the “Un certain regard” section.
1991 saw Løkkeberg presenting her fiction film with the release of Seagulls. 1993's Where Gods Are Dead also had some elements of dramatic fiction, but on the whole is considered to be a documentary depicting the extremely current events in the former Yugoslavia. Since then Løkkeberg has turned her creative output more towards writing, and she has published a total of five novels since 1989. She has, however, not given up on the visual modes of expression entirely, and 2010 saw the premiere of her documentary, the (again) extremely current, and emotionally provocative, Tears of Gaza.
Norsk Filminstitutt
