PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! I was detecting Wag the Dog/Primary Colors vibes as I descended into Petter Næss’s slick, Soderberghian satire, Ingen kommentar (No Comment). It begins as you’d imagine, citing my aforementioned references, with an election hanging in the balance. The current Prime Minister, Alma Solvik (Laila Goody), is hunkering down under siege from the media regarding the misappropriation of funds because of the reckless and greedy exploits of Alma’s unfortunate husband, Sondre (Anders Baasmo).
So, what happens when you need to divert public attention to not throw the baby (election) out with the bath water? You bring in someone who specializes in rumor eradication and control. Thus, the Prime Minister enlists Karianne Moen (Pia Tjelta), a combination of Robert De Niro’s Conrad Brean and Kathy Bates’s Libby Holden. Not liked or respected by Alma’s core entourage, as it comprises mostly upstanding truth-tellers, Karianne’s appointment is met with hostility.
Of course, that’s until Karianne starts fixing the problem by schooling those under her thumb in the subtle art of manipulation. Besides, when the stakes are high and public scrutiny cuts like a knife, one must deflect with emotion and not offense. Karianne lays the strategy flat. They must throw Sondre under the bus, but in stages.
“The current Prime Minister, Alma Solvik, is hunkering down under siege from the media regarding the misappropriation of funds…”
The endgame is separate from a husband’s frailties, a wife’s ultimate drive, and leaders’ ultimate drive: to return for a second term, continue to rebuild trust and confidence, and not allow past mistakes to shape the future. However, just like Kathy Bates/Libby Holden in Primary Colors, Karianne’s methods and approach are calculated but abrasive. She asks Alama staff to leave their righteousness and morality at the door, because in a media war, you don’t have to tell the whole truth, only the parts that serve a purpose. This all makes Ingen kommentar (No Comment) distinct from, if inspired by, those other titles.
Despite infighting among the staff, Karianne rights the ship and gets the public back on Alma’s side. The blast of the backlash hits Sondre like a freight train, so he disappears into the wilderness with a pair of his minders for a liquor-loaded retreat, during which the pair of yes men feed Sondre’s delusion that all the chaos isn’t really his fault, as he maintains his actions weren’t illegal.
Still, covering the truth with a web of lies is a messy business, and all those taking part in the cover-up must, must, must agree and be ready to deliver the company line with poise and conviction when called upon. But with the suffering Prime Minister trying to drown her sorrows in white wine, and her silly spouse going buck-wild like he just joined the cast of Animal House, Karianne endeavors to keep the publicity department from improvising, the public fooled just long enough to secure that second term, and keeps the leaks to a minimum, else the house of cards comes crashing down.
Ingen kommentar (No Comment) is a zippy treat for fans of films that pull apart the art of political positioning. From Næss’s stylistic direction (with a trio of great little musical interludes) to Ståle Stein Berg’s sizzling dramedy-style dialogue, there is an energy here. Kåre Vestrheim’s electronically melodious music underscores the wild plot wonderfully. It is a picture that should serve as a reminder to us all that those who control the flow of information wield a pen mightier than any sword. And it ain’t always used for good.
Ingen kommentar (No Comment) screened at the 2026 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
"…slick, Soderberghian satire..."
