I actually watched a Swedish Movie this week, at the movies. I thought it'd be a major catastrophe film similar to 2012 or The Day After Tomorrow, but Swedish (which seemed pretty cool since I don't think we've ever made a movie like that except for this), but it turns out I should have read the description a bit more carefully.
In Swedish film collective Crazy Pictures feature "Den blomstertid nu kommer" Sweden faces a mysterious attack while Alex tries to reunite with his youth love, Anna.
And his father.
Not that it wasn't worth the watch, but it reminded me of why I generally avoid these movies. These movies as in: Swedish movies.
It's because of the darkness. The personal relations. The emotions. With Hollywood movies you're usually guaranteed a thrill, a blast, or in some shape or form a more material form of entertainment. You either laugh, or sit tight, or go HELL YEAH, or showcase a set of predictable emotions as the movie passes - and even if it's sort of sad it's a sadness you can expect, and control, or a sadness that has some sort of spark or kindness or comedy to it. It all goes how you want it to, even when you don't really want it to go that way. Even a bad ending is a 'good' ending with a Hollywood movie. If someone dies, you know they'll at least die the right way.
Swedish movies however: they leave you confused. You don't know what to feel. You get stuck in emotions. The characters freeze up. They don't take a break from their arguments and make up, or redeem themselves, or do the right thing at the end. They're consistent in their roles, which aren't always good roles, and it seems the directors try to bring forth as much psychological turmoil as possible rather than tone it down so you can enjoy everything else, because with a Swedish movie that IS the experience.
And damn... what an experience. There wasn't as much action as I expected, but the little there is does packs a punch. Great choreography. Great filming otherwise, too, with saturated, or gray, or natural color. Everything feels fresh and experimental, and filmed from angles that truly feel 'Swedish' - such as through the grass on a hazy, wavy summer field, the sky adrift with distant clouds
The relationships are a bigger part of the story than the war, but in the end... this is going to haunt me. This is going to stay in mind for some time. I definately won't watch this again, but I can't say it was a bad movie. The only bits I didn't like were the sounds that kept growing to just fade out. More than once. Too many times. Also how the main characters just kept throwing things around to showcase their anger. Are people really like that? I don't throw anything. It might break, you know? I don't relate to the anger in their actions, and I feel they are there more as a way to make the anger visual than anything else. Like an excuse for bad acting. They could show that anger and sadness in better ways, via words, and confrontation, and expression - but they do that too.
Overall though this was hella great. The sceneries are great. The emotions are consuming. The plot progression and everything... it's great. There are some awkward moments, and some fun moments, and some unnecessarily long pauses, but the fires, and the car crashes, and the CGI: they've got it covered. For a Swedish movie I'm impressed, just also really depressed. Great work Christoffer Nordenrot, Lisa Henni, and the father. All great.
rated 4/5: fo shizzle
