Last night, I went along to the Scandinavian Film Festival at Palace Electric to see Swedish Film, Home. Starring Moa Gammel, Anita Wall, Simon J Berger and Erik Lundqvist and directed by Maximilian Hult, the film was billed as a Comedy/Drama.
For the entire 90 minutes, Home treads a fine tightrope between light comedy and slightly depressing drama. It does this beautifully.
Lou (Gammel) is an intelligent although socially awkward woman who lacks that critical filter between brain and mouth, leaving her somewhat isolated.
When she discovers her grandmother is alive, she finds herself seeking her out. This journey leads her to a world where she is nurtured by her eccentric grandmother Frieda (Wall). Potential romantic interest is found in Henrik (Berger) which raises new challenges to Lou’s social barriers. Along the way they befriend a misplaced boy, Tom (Lundqvist). Tom adds a life to the screen and pulls the audience along with him, with a desire for everything to be OK in his world.
The characters are subtle and evolve slowly as the audience bonds with them (although Tom is the standout as we all root for him to succeed).
The small coastal town in which they are based is at once beautiful, slightly claustrophobic and worn and creates a wonderful backdrop to the movie.
The comedic value of the film, and flawless delivery by Anita Wall and Erik Lundqvist (in particular) keep the audience on a rollercoaster of giggles and reflective sighs.
I was with a group of friends and all four of us thoroughly enjoyed the film. Although peppered with sadness and tragedy, it could most definitely be classed as feel good.
This was my first step into Swedish film and I loved it!
Don’t forget to check out the RiotACT post on the festival for your chance to win a double pass to the Festival (you’ll need to respond before 5pm this afternoon though – 11th July).
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