philharmonic-850-395923
For the last few months i've stumbled upon quite a few Swedish movies, and for me, personally, it's a grand discovery!
I love and appreciate low budget movies. For me, producing more with less always seemed an outcome of cinematic expertise.
That kind of Minimalism makes this movie great.
The themes and situations displayed in this movie are so relatable, and i bet you'll find your self giggling (for a wide Spectrum of reasons: from sympathy to embarrassment).
It's light and have a natural flow, the acting is very authentic and sensitive.
The script is superb, and the camerawork also contributes to the "Ostlund experience", together forming an honourable picture.
ingelaallard
Five independent stories which all possess an admirable wit and acuity. They all share one thing - the involved have to stand up for their own will and resist the so often overwhelming peer pressure that we all at some point has been the victim of.Ruben Östlund has created a sleek, straight and accurate film where the acting is unbeatable. We have to be alert, listen and try to keep up with the sometimes very complicated plot. The camera is rolling and it allows all the involved to take all the space. The stories has a strange sense of normalcy on the surface, and the every day situations succeeds each other with finesse, perfectly knitted together until the end without any forced resolution or final connection. It is this kind of story I feel can be associated with Sweden. This may be our future culture imprint.Ruben Östlund possesses a narration that grabs at his audience and he is not afraid to challenge. It is exciting despite unremarkable equality in the presentation, and the persons in the five stories, feel very real.
OJT
This film has been highly appreciated by critics and film reviewers, but I find it too experimental to be great. Here's why!We meet some Swedish persons in different situations in their everyday lives. All situations which are happy or ordinary, turning sour due to one persons ill judgment. Taking chances, not taking things seriously, acting stubborn, not listening to reasoning. It's a great premise, and it's a pity the film doesn't finish some moral here.I appreciate some of the filming techniques used. These are great. I loved the passive use of camera.I loved the way this film shows a glimpse of real life Sweden. Some stupid people, ruining happy situations. Stupid, yes, but I bet you recognize the situations from your own life.I liked the way the film takes exciting situations, embarrassing situations, and makes tense film situations out of it. This is a trade mark of the director.The actors are brilliant. No forced acting. Just great instructions.I didn't like the cutting between the scenes. They feel amateurish.I'm disappointed about the plot. It doesn't come out to anything in the end. It could have been better. I'd love to see more of what happened.I think the film needs a better plot. Film is more than challenging conventions. A similar film, which is way more satisfying is "Hawaii, Oslo".
jakob-lofblad
I saw this film at Stockholm Film Festival last week. I've heard a lot about it, and my expectations were really high. It won the audience award i think.It's five stories about the Swedish mentality. I liked the one with the girls best ; )It was a bit stiff, but kind of funny in a weird way. The camera didn't move much though. I wouldn't say it's the best movie ever (in Sweden), but it wasn't boring either. I guess it's hard to live up to that hype.I haven't seen his previous film "Gitarrmongot", but i think i will check it out now. It's a cool title, but hard to translate into English...
AD
