Tag archives for Hämnden

Closing time. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.

We are finally here, at the end of the road. You are reading my last post in the Sweden.se’s film blog. I do admit that it’s a little emotional. My face isn’t leaking but I am ready with some tissues so if it breaks out I can wipe and type.

As a final goodbye here at the end of the year I do feel the urge to share my thoughts of what I consider being the most interesting and fun films & events of 2010. I didn’t just want to do a regular top 5 list. Those are so easily forgettable after reading. Instead I wanted to mix it up a little. I hope you enjoy.

My three favorite Swedish films of the year are:

Behind Blue Skies (Himlen är oskyldigt blå).
This was easily my number one of 2010. It’s a beautiful film with a huge heart and some fantastic acting.

Simple Simon (I rymden finns inga känslor)
Sweden’s choice in the run for the Oscars is a very lovable film which hopefully will win the love of a lot of people around  the world.

Easy Money (Snabba Cash)
This is a film I haven’t mentioned in the blog. The reason for that is that it had a very early 2010 release. It’s based on a book by the same name by Jens Lapidus. Easy Money is a film that no doubt has flaws but at the same time it showed that Swedish crime film can do more than just watered down cop films.

Films people should have seen but didn’t.

Trust Me (Puss).
A very likable film with True Blood’s own Alexander Skarsgård. It’s directed by Johan Kling who did a film called Darling a few years back. Darling is considered being one of Swedens best films of this decade and Trust Me isn’t that far behind.

Psalm 21.
A film that scared basically everyone that went to see it. Sadly a lot of people skipped this one.

Best film where Swedes were involved.

A Better World (Hämnden).
This film which stars Mikael Persbrandt is my favorite Scandinavian film of 2010. The emotions and actors in this film are just mind blowing.

Shanghai.
Directed with a perfect hand by Swede Mikael Håfström. It’s a film noir that basically makes love to your eyes.

Best event of 2010.

Uppsala Short Film Festival. Even if ticket prices are going up (Buu!) they still deliver a very high standard when it comes to films( Yeay!). Stockholm Film Festival was a great one but the very narrow selection of Swedish films forces this festival to take the backseat.

Where the hell are you hiding?

Lukas Moodysson.
The director that took the world by storm a few years back has put the filmmaking hat on the shelf for a while and will be releasing his first book in 21 years this coming March. The book titled Death & Co is about a boy by the name of Lucas whose dad suddenly dies.

It’s an oldie but goodie. Swedish films that you just can’t miss.

Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in).
The vampire film that already has a Hollywood remake (Let Me In) is considered by the very famous English film magazine Empire to be number 15 when it comes to the 100 Best Films of all time.

In Bed With Santa (Tomten är far till alla barnen)
All I have to say about this one is that if you think you have a dysfunctional family around Christmas, just check this one out.

And there we have it people, the latest of the greatest when it comes to Swedish cinema. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading my blog. I hope it’s been a fun read as much of an interesting look at Swedish cinema. Like I wrote in my last post I really don’t know when or even if I’ll be back but with fingers crossed it feel s pretty good.

What will I do now? I’m actually off to Asia for a few months to recharge my batteries. If you would like to follow my journey you may do so here or on my Twitter.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

(And no, that’s NOT me in the video)

Same same but different

Director Susanne Bier is Danish but has many ties to Swedish film. Photo: SFI

Welcome to Sweden.se’s relaunch of the movie blog. I’m your host, Chris Gardner. Last year I covered the short film festival that took place in Uppsala and shared my thoughts on this site. However last year the blog wasn’t as easy to find. You kind of had to have Indiana Jones with his bag of sand to find it but this year it’s much easier and you have to agree that the blog area is looking great so if film isn’t your only cup of tea you’ll easily find some more interesting reading here at Sweden.se.

I will be covering the Uppsala short film festival this year as well but other than that I will be sharing my general thoughts about mostly Swedish film, mixed with some movie news. Hopefully there’s enough juice out there to make a good movie smoothie.

Last Thursday the director Susanne Bier from Denmark was here in Stockholm to do a Q&A (Questions & Answers) and answer presented by Cinemateket over at Filmhuset. This “Inside the Actor Studio” inspired bit was hosted by Johanna Koljonen, a Finnish journalist. I found the fact that a Danish person was interviewed by a Finish person in Sweden pretty amusing. I was the only one that found that funny.

Susanne Bier is a director that has done some remarkable work. Ever since her debut with Freud Leaving Home (Freud flyttar hemifrån) in 1991 her name has been a stamp of quality. Over the last years she has directed Brothers (Bröder), After The Wedding (Efter Bröllopet), Open Hearts (Älskar Dig För Evigt) and Things We Lost In The Fire, which was her Hollywood debut.

In all her films she puts most focus on one thing and one thing only, the human emotions. This is probably why most of her films reach both critics and the audiences. During this Q&A she was asked why she likes to do so many close ups. Her reply was that she thought the human face is the most interesting thing to shoot. When asked about what she thinks of other films she hopes that a lot more of the Nordic filmmakers will stop shooting in a style she calls “Nordic naturalism”. It’s too cold, boring and judgmental in her opinion. Focus on the acting, the emotions. Too many filmmakers are busy thinking about the frame so the characters get lost. This is why I use a crappy monitor Susanne Bier says with a smile on her face.

Mikael Persbrandt plays one of the leads in the movie In A Better World (Hämnden). Photo: Nordisk Film

She couldn’t talk about her latest film, In a Better World (Hämnden) because we were all going to see it after the Q&A but she said that she was really proud of it and she should be. The film is Denmarks choice for the Oscar later next year and it only took the film three weeks to turn a profit according to the production company Zentropa. You can see the trailer here. I’m sorry but I couldn’t find one with subtitles.

So what do I think of In A Better World? The film is a real powerhouse of emotions. It’s a violent movie without the violence. I haven’t seen anything like this coming out of Sweden or Denmark in the last few years. The story revolves around two families with their sons being best friends and this friendship will put a lot of things on the line. I really can’t explain more without spoiling something so all I got to say is if you have the chance to see it, do it. The storylines are pretty complex and the acting is fantastic. I sat on the edge of my seat during most parts of it and that was ages ago I remember doing that.