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Bruno Dumont and the Problem of Foreign Language TV
Bruno Dumont is joining the ranks of acclaimed filmmakers trading in the big screen for the home screen. Set to develop a police drama for French network ARTE, this will be his first foray into television. Dumont’s work, which includes L’humanité (1999) and Hors Satan (2011), has long been controversial and his filmmaking practises have […] More
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Inside Out 2012: ‘She Monkeys’ straddles the precarious equilibrium of genius and insanity
She Monkeys Directed by Lisa Aschan Written by Lisa Aschan and Josefine Adolfsson Sweden, 2011 Oscar Levant once said, “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity”. Perhaps Levant was a genius (or perhaps he was insane), but the truth within his aphorism is both pithy and well documented. In cinema, the most notable auteurs […] More
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Inside Out 2012: ‘Kiss Me’; a classic tale of love destined to become a classic of its own
Kiss Me Written and directed by Alexandra-Therese Keining Sweden, 2011 Like in Mulholland Drive, the first intimate encounter between the two female leads is delicately depicted. Perfuse with undeniable eroticism and composed with such seductive elegance, this moment is mediated on absolute and instinctive passion. Framed amongst the forbidden circumstances of their carnal convergence, the […] More
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Inside Out 2012: ‘The Crown Jewels’ is made of pyrite
The Crown Jewels Directed by Ella Lemhagen Written by Ella Lemhagen and Carina Dahl Sweden, 2011 Fragancia (Alicia Vikander) walks into her interrogation. As she sits in silence, a detective inquires, “Tell me what happened. You went up to Mr. Persson’s house at midnight to see Richard Persson. Why?” Fragancia answers, “If I’m going to […] More
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TJFF 2012: ‘Simon and the Oaks’ works best without just Simon
Simon and the Oaks Directed by Lisa Ohlin Written by Lisa Ohlin and Marnie Blok Sweden, 2011 During the late 1930’s and 1940’s, young Simon Larsson (Jonatan S. Washer) and his family live in the idyllic Swedish countryside. There, he and his father (Stefan Gödicke) are at constant odds, with Simon wanting to go to […] More
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Hot Docs 2012: ‘Big Boys Gone Bananas!’; Episode Two – Fredrik Gertten Strikes Back
Big Boys Gone Bananas! Directed by Fredrik Gertten Sweden, 2011 Not so long ago in a country not so far, far away… A Swedish journalist publishes a fiery polemic against a large, multi-national corporation. In response, said corporation successfully alleges fraud, effectively burying his work and blacklisting him from various media and journalistic syndications. To […] More
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Glasgow Film Festival 2012: Swedish drama ‘Play’ is frustrating in both good and bad ways
Play Written by Ruben Östlund and Erik Hemmendorff Directed by Ruben Östlund Sweden/Denmark/Finland, 2011 Play is a frequently harrowing and thoughtful film about manipulation, bullying, identity, race and customs. Primarily rooted in uncomfortable ambiguity, it is based on a series of real cases of bullying and robbery that occurred in Gothenburg, Sweden in recent years. […] More
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Trailer: The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo
Niels Arden Oplev directs Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), a film based on the award winning novel and quite possible the biggest international phenom to emerge from Sweden since Abba. Critically compared with the epic War and Peace for its depth, it became a posthumous best-seller in Europe with it’s […] More