ONE BROTHER TOO MANY

Nine-year-old Sara’s world is turned upside down when her new foster brother moves in, pushing her to create an alter ego to cope – until her parents realise she’s disappearing into her imaginary self, and must find a way to bring her back.

When 9-year-old Sara suddenly gets a foster brother, 5-year-old Steinar, her life is turned upside down. Forced to share both her parents and her room, Sara feels angry, sad, and unable to be a good big sister. To cope, she creates Alfred – a kind, big-brother alter ego. At home, she’s Alfred; at school, still Sara. But soon, Sara starts to disappear. Her parents don’t know what to do, and her best friend tries to help. In the end, the parents act: Steinar gets his own room, and Sara slowly returns. She teaches him letters and accepts her role as big sister. On her door hangs a drawing from Steinar. Misspelled, but clear: "Sara".

Director's note

"One Brother Too Many"is a drama film for children. The main character is the 9-year-old Sara, and it is through her that we experience how life gets turned upside down when she suddenly gets a 5-year-old foster brother. The film is based on a novel by the acclaimed author Linde Hagerup. What really fascinates me about this story is the inventive and energetic main character. Sara is quick, active and strong-willed and goes to great lengths to get close to her new little brother Steinar – so far that she chooses to become a different person. I want the audience to take Sara's idea seriously, by understanding and engaging in Sara's non-traditional journey.
Being a foster child is a thought-provoking topic. My own father lost his mother at a young age and grew up in an orphanage and later in foster care. Both he and I still have strong ties to his foster family, and there is no doubt that the foster family has played a decisive role in his development through a difficult life situation. But life in a foster family is admittedly not always a success story. It is a well-known problem that foster children can reject the new family – but something that is hardly focused on is how the other children in the family cope with suddenly receiving a new family member. The perspective of “the other children” is a very interesting angle and a theme that has rarely been highlighted on screen.
As a director, I find it incredibly exciting to explore the children's world by addressing universal themes. Subjects like life, death and love might not be innovative in themselves, but they can be a great way of exploring the child’s view. Small details that adults might not notice can be hugely important to a child. Children often have an immediate and intuitive way of attacking a scene or situation, and here, as a director, I can pick up elements and characteristics that can help shape both character and dialogue. In that way, it will enrich the project, make it believable, real, close and alive.
The film describes how the family dynamics are changing, and how hard it is for Sara to be a kind older sister and share a bedroom with someone she doesn't want there. But the story takes an unexpected turn when she steps out of the victim role and introduces her surprising solution: her alter ego Alfred. Sara’s journey, her way of dealing with life, and her development as a person, are crucial to this story.
The audience will experience this film from Sara's perspective. Things that are important to Sara must feel important to us as an audience. Her experiences of a difficult situation are to be taken seriously in this film, with the imagination, playfulness and naivety that it entails. This will be a riveting story, a heart-warming drama about important themes such as grief, identity and jealousy, told with a good dose of humour. This story balances comedy and charm with melancholy and seriousness. You should be able to both wipe a tear and laugh, without it ever feeling unnatural. I want to make a film of importance to the children – bringing warmth and humour to the difficult, and beauty to the glaring that every upbringing and every life offers.
This is an intelligent and up-to-date project, which takes its target group seriously, while also being entertaining and relevant for adults. Today's children and young people have much higher expectations for authenticity in the content they consume, and the advantage of "One Brother Too Many" lies in its authenticity and relatability. Giving children access to unique cinematic universes that address universal issues that concern them can change and influence the way they understand and view the reality of which they are a part.
This is a story to be told with a fresh and lively film language. It will be a vivid film with a strong visual expression, where the film will be experienced through Sara's perspective. I want the audience to feel they are involved in the situations with the children. I want to let the camera move organically and intuitively with the actors. This is something I focused on in my feature film "Twigson & the Sea Monster" (2020). For me, it is the scenes where I had the opportunity to explore precisely this type of camera work that I am most proud of, and which remain playful and real.
Cinematographer Rune Sørheim and I want to create a subjective photo that follows and amplifies Sara's emotions, seeing the world as she sees it. The camera should be a friend she can confide in, who is present in the play, the anger and the loneliness. With a dynamic handheld camera that is spontaneous and inventive, as well as other cinematic techniques like slow motion, freeze frame and shock zoom to enhance the turning points and Sara’s skewed view of the situation.
It should be a film full of storytelling joy that captivates and speaks to children. The goal is a dynamic set, often with two cameras and lighting through windows and with practical effects, to create a free and open space to work in, capturing spontaneous and genuine moments with the children. The viewer does not just become an observer but gets to run with the children and join in their journey of discovery.
The mischievous tone of Roald Dahl's "Matilda" is also a source of inspiration. Even in the most serious situations, there should be room for humour – such as when the priest at the funeral of Steinar’s mother bursts into false falsetto during a hymn. I will also use voice-over as an important artistic move in this film. I want to depict the world as Sara experiences it – alive and unpredictable. In carefully selected places, I will break the “fourth wall” and let Sara address the camera (and the audience) directly and confide her secrets. Here she also shares many of her subtle perspectives with wit and humour.
The Norwegian film "Jørgen + Anne = sant" is a good reference when it comes to style and energy. Lasse Hallström’s film "My Life as a Dog" is an important reference in terms of how to balance melancholy and seriousness with humour and charm. I will use the seasons as a clear visual gesture to show that time is passing. At the start of the film, it is autumn, and we follow the family through the winter, until it begins to approach spring. Christmas also becomes important in this story – here the great upheavals in the family’s life will become extra clear.

Screenwiter's note

When I first read En bror for mye / One Brother Too Many by Linde Hagerup, I was immediately struck by its emotional richness, subtle humour, and the complexity of Sara’s inner world. I knew this story had the potential to become a powerful and relatable film – one that speaks both to children and adults. The screenplay balances humour and emotional depth, inspired by films like “My Life as a Dog” and “Matilda.” Set in a Norwegian family and everyday reality, the story explores emotions that transcend borders: sibling jealousy, the need to be seen, and the fear of being replaced, ensuring it resonates with international audiences. Adapting a novel of such literary quality has given the screenplay a strong narrative foundation. The book’s international recognition, including a nomination for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis reflects its wide appeal – something we believe the film will carry with it to the screen.

Subjects:
feel good, friendship, familial relationships, jealousy, children, childhood, love, child parent relationships, grief, humour