Need help identifying a location in Norway to visit

Haven’t seen the film, although we were just in Norway in September. Based on the name of the film, Tromso would seem to be a likely contender for a location. We didn’t get above the Arctic Circle, but went up as far north as Trondheim, which does have its share of colorful houses/buildings. We stayed in the treasured. Bakklandet neighborhood, right alongside the Nidelva River before it emptied into the harbor.

I’m guessing that, otherwise, the film location would’ve been somewhere along the western coast of Norway (Lofoten Islands, maybe?), but to get most anywhere in Norway from Paris would involve a flight to Oslo, then either flying to your destination, perhaps on a low-cost Norwegian Air flight. A couple of charming, and somewhat out-of-the way villages we stayed in (north, but certainly not Arctic Circle north) were Stranda and Hafslo.

I've also not seen the film, so it will be very hard to provide an answer.

As you suggested, based on the name of the film, Tromso would seem to
be a likely contender for a location.

I don't think Tromsø would be a contender. With around 65000 inhabitants I don't think it can be called a village. And it's nowhere near the arctic circle. If you're looking for a village near the arctic circle, have a look at the area around Mo i Rana.

Perhaps Bodo?

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate your help. Trondheim, Tronso, Mo i Rana and Bodo all have features that I remember from the film. I just now googled 'city in Norway from The Best of Youth' and surprisingly found a mention of North Cape in the story line. Then I googled 'villages near North Cape' and after scanning a bunch of photos of various places, I think the town of Honningsvag might be it. I'll never be sure because none of the photos of Honningsvag are exactly the same image I have in my mind (and this was 20 years ago...) but I think Honningsvag and any of the places you've all suggested is close enough and will get me there. Thank you also for the advice on how to travel from Paris to Norway. It's all unknown territory for me so I appreciate it. Norway looks absolutely amazing. Thanks again.

Rather than flying all the way fly in to Trondheim, Tromso or Kirkenes and take the Hurtigruten boat the final leg, on a port to port ticket rather than on a cruise ticket.
Regular service buses meet the boat to take you the last leg from Honningsvag to the North Cape.

Just keep in mind that the village where the film is set might not be the same village that was used for filming.

Thank you for the advice about the bus service and port to port tickets as we're not planning on doing a cruise. The beauty of Norway has been a real eye-opener (usual summer travel has primarily focused on England, Italy, France and Greece) so I'll be happy to land in any of the places that have been suggested on this post and on the Norway forum. Oslo and Bergen look like places not to be missed and it's exciting to discover them here.

Mageroya (island with North Cape) is a unique looking place.
If you see trees in the movie it is very unlikely Honningsvag.
If you know a public picture/screenshot of the movie with the houses please share a link.

It depends on how much time you have, but Oslo-Norway in a Nutshell-Bergen is not a bad option. Just be aware that if you want to beat the crowds, many parts of Norway in the summer might not be the best option.

The parts of Norway I saw were stunning. However, it's very expensive, so I felt self-imposed pressure to be an efficient traveler rather than taking my usual laissez-faire approach. That meant researching transportation schedules ahead of time, etc. In rural areas buses connecting towns may run as infrequently as once a day, so winging it just doesn't work, and failure to plan ahead on hotel rooms can lead to finding precisely zero lodgings available in the place where you really want/need to stay. People have mentioned encountering the occasional sold-out train as well. Oslo hotels were not a problem in the summer of 2022; Oslo apparently gets a lot of business travelers, and there are fewer of those in the summer.

MarkK: It's so interesting that you mentioned that if there were trees in the movie scene then it's unlikely to be Honningsvag because the main character ends up taking a job as a lumberjack. He eventually leaves Norway after a short stint to return to Italy to help with the 1966 flood that devastated Florence. I'm going to try and find a copy of the film in our library system.

I've been watching youtube videos of the Norway in a Nutshell route and I came across a Youtuber who said that he'd been wanting to see the fjords ever since he saw a sketch on Monty Python. I looked it up (The Dead Parrot Sketch/1969) and there's just one brief mention of 'pinning for the fjords', not even an image of a fjord or Norway and that was enough to inspire this person to take a long journey to Norway many, many years later. It makes you wonder how many films and tv or radio programs have done the same for other travelers.

Badger: Yes, the summer crowds on the NIN route that I've seen on youtube videos are very concerning. I checked out the Norway Tripadvisor forum that several posters on the RS Norway forum recommended and there are lots of complaints about the crowded ferries and buses everywhere that ruined people's trips. Maybe a fall trip might be better but that would have to wait until I retire from teaching.

acraven: I haven't even begun to look at costs but everything I'm reading on this forum points to sticker shock in Norway, even public transportation it seems. I just ordered Lonely Planet's Norway (apparently Rick's book doesn't cover northern Norway) so I'll have a better idea of costs and also planning.

Thank you all for taking the time to advise.

I checked out the Norway Tripadvisor forum that several posters on the
RS Norway forum recommended and there are lots of complaints about the
crowded ferries and buses everywhere that ruined people's trips.

That can be a problem, so I'd suggest checking the port schedules and see if there are any cruise ships in the area. If there are, it's going to be overcrowded.

The advice about checking port schedules makes good sense. I've seen similar mentions on the Greece forum in regards to visiting Santorini as well. We were there when the cruise ships were in full force one summer and it was unbearably crowded. Thank you for the reminder.

Many of those places are usually lovely but can be horrible places to visit when a cruise ship is there. The difference can be like night and day.

I haven’t seen the film either but have you checked out images of Reine in the Lofoten archipelago?