Swedish movies
Ross asked me to name some favorite contemporary Swedish movies (aside from Fucking Amal and Let the Right One In). Perhaps some of the Swedish readers of this blog can chip in and offer some advice, but here are a few notes:
I like all of Lukas Moodysson's films except Mammoth, the most recent one (which I wrote about a while back), especially A Hole In My Heart. Together is also a wonderful comedy about the 1970s. Moodysson was also the producer - I believe - of a pretty good road movie made a few years ago, Det Nya Landet (The New Country), as well as a wonderful documentary ("The Terrorists") about young anti-globalism activists who were jailed in connection with the protests against EU back in 2003. He started out as a poet and he still publishes poetry, but I'm not sure any of it has been translated.
Roy Andersson's "Songs from the Second Floor" is sort of Strindberg's Dream Play updated for the fall of the welfare state. Really brilliant.
I like "Farval Falkenberg", which is a kind of sentimental story of five young men; the story is pretty weak, but the cinematography is evocative of the later Gus Van Sant movies (Elephant, Last Days etc). I assume it's translated as "Farewell Falkenberg" but I haven't seen it in English. It's pretty.
Then of course there's older folks: Troell, Bergman, I Am Curious (Yellow) etc, and art film that is likely totally impossible to access.
Anyway, that's from the top of my head. Please feel free to add to this list.
Of course, there's a lot of good music:
I also found this awesome "live" performance of "Pass This On":
I like all of Lukas Moodysson's films except Mammoth, the most recent one (which I wrote about a while back), especially A Hole In My Heart. Together is also a wonderful comedy about the 1970s. Moodysson was also the producer - I believe - of a pretty good road movie made a few years ago, Det Nya Landet (The New Country), as well as a wonderful documentary ("The Terrorists") about young anti-globalism activists who were jailed in connection with the protests against EU back in 2003. He started out as a poet and he still publishes poetry, but I'm not sure any of it has been translated.
Roy Andersson's "Songs from the Second Floor" is sort of Strindberg's Dream Play updated for the fall of the welfare state. Really brilliant.
I like "Farval Falkenberg", which is a kind of sentimental story of five young men; the story is pretty weak, but the cinematography is evocative of the later Gus Van Sant movies (Elephant, Last Days etc). I assume it's translated as "Farewell Falkenberg" but I haven't seen it in English. It's pretty.
Then of course there's older folks: Troell, Bergman, I Am Curious (Yellow) etc, and art film that is likely totally impossible to access.
Anyway, that's from the top of my head. Please feel free to add to this list.
Of course, there's a lot of good music:
I also found this awesome "live" performance of "Pass This On":
posted by Johannes at 8:05 AM
5 Comments:
I'm going to have to attack that list...
Love the knife. The only other Swedish music I've listened to much of has either been avant-garde/industrial/post-punk (Jazzkammer/Lasse Maraung; the Leather Nun, Heinrik Nordvgagr Bjork/MZ. 412/Folkstorm, etc) or Black Metal (esp Shining, Bathory, Abruptum may be swedish? I'm not sure).
Have you seen the swedish documentary Maggie in wonderland and Swallow it by the directors Mark Efrik Hammarberg and Ester Martin Bergsmark? I think you may like it. Check it out here:
http://www.vimeo.com/8822959
and
http://www.svd.se/kulturnoje/film/trasig-skonhet-lyfter_1117977.svd
These two might be of interest:
Lucky People Center International
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7OuwYEF1R0
Terrorized into being Consumers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AEiwOM4fAY
Otherwise I don't bother with most contemporary Swedish films. They usually bore me.
I have a fantasy however, that the government will dump more money into Svenska Filminstitutets accounts, and change tax laws and other regulations so as to make Sweden one of the world's largest high-quality film exporters. We export a lot of music, why not film? Are we incapable of it? Can we not envison and create scripts for films on par with "Momento", "Naked Lunch", "History of Violence", "Mulholland Drive", "Little Miss Sunshine", "O Brother Where Art Thou", "I Served the King of England", "Der Untergang", "Fiddler on the Roof", "Kungfu Panda", "Englar Allheimsins"... Must we continue to crank out mediocre tripe that eats up nearly all the money available for film?
James,
Yeah, most Swedish films these days seem pretty cheesy. Look forward to seeing these. Thanks.
Don't hold your breath about increased funding. I think you'll have to make it happen yourself.
Johannes
Stieg Larsson's millennium series, are must watch, available with english subtitles the 3 movies of the series are
1. Man som hatar kvinnor (Man who hates women)
2. Fikan som lekte med elden (The girl who plays with fire)
3. Luftslottet som sprängdes (The girl who kicked the hornets' nest)
I am not swedish, but I am a great fan of the millennium series and actress Noomi Rapace. And yes, you can find it online as well ! cheers !
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