Läst
* Cyril Pedrosa: Three Shadows
Trots ”slarviga” teckningar, ibland är det svårt att veta vem det föreställer, vilket gör handlingen något oklar, så skapas en märkligt ödesmättad stämning. Det okända främlingarna uppfattas av familjen som ett hot, som leder till drastiska handlingar för att söka undkomma. Kanske är upplösningen lite för mycket självklar, det där man aldrig riktigt kan komma undan, så varför försöka. Men resan dit är engagerande.
Sett
* Hotell – regi: Lisa Langseth, med: Alicia Vikander
Jag fann Langseths första film problematisk. Så här skrev jag från Mannheim.
The Swedish film Till det som är vackert by Lisa Langseth is having a good reception both at home and abroad. It was the best film in its section in Pusan, Korea and it got an honorable citation for the main actress at the Mannheim-Heidelberg festival.
The acting by Alicia Vikander is impressive indeed, the combination of classical music and the social problems of the world of the young is refreshing and the concert house as a working place is exciting. So it is easy to forget that it is also a problematic film. Not only are there serious flaws in the dramatic structure, more importantly the message of the film is dubious.
In short, what the film says is that it is all right to kill a conductor to get a job. That statement is of course a challenge to the viewer, like the early Tarantino films, only Till det som är vackert is set, not in film land, but in the real world of youth. Many can easily see their own situation in the character played by Vikander. One trauma of growing up after finishing school is the repeat visits to the unemployment agency. Imagine the relief to finally be able say that you got a job. If you are treated unfairly, especially by a man, it is all right to get away with murder.
The filmmaker tries in different ways to build up a defence for the character. In the Swedish adverts there is a picture of the girl looking into the camera, standing defiantly, while the conductor is clinging to her side. It should actually be the other way around to represent the situations in the film correctly.
The first international title was Beloved, later changed to Pure. No one is loved in the film and no one is pure. The titles and the picture in the advert must be an expression of Lisa Langseth’s love and admiration of her character, but they are not a reflection of what happens in the film, it’s more an encouragement to the audience to embrace this woman, no matter what. And it probably works. The film was one of three that a jury of cinema owners in Germany recommended. They thought that the character had “courage and passion”.
There is an omnious feeling in the end when the murderess sits among the children in the audience. I don’t think you are suppose to read the film that way, but maybe we will find out in Pure 2
The Swedish title translates into To that what is beautiful, which refers to classical music, especially Mozart, the concert house and other things that are apart from the ugly suburbian youth world. The problem is that it doesn’t actually make her do things, she sorts of just rambles around, even the except kill a conductor, just flows along. Cows milk better listening to Mozart. If it works for the cows…
It is easier to see the problems if you make a gender switch. Imagine the conductor being a woman and the girl a boy. That film would probably not be as much applauded.
The Danish film Hold om mig by Kaspar Munk was also in competition at Mannheim-Heidelberg. It is based on a true event in Poland where a school girl killed herself after being sexually harssed by her school mates. It won the Ecumenical Prize and in the thank you speech the director said that this was the first time it had been shown for an adult audience. In Denmark there had only been special screenings for schools. I don’t think anyone would get that idea in Sweden for Till allt som är vackert.
I början kändes Hotell som en direkt fortsättning på Till det som är vackert. Antagligen kombinerat med mina problem att skaka av mig den första filmen. Men efter att filmen började göra skäl för namnet, det vill säga när gänget började utöva självterapi i olika hotellanläggningar, tog filmen en annan vändning. En konsekvent vändning som man nog sällan kan se i svensk film. Det blev hämningslöst och förutsättningslöst och om man hade eventuella dubier så hann man aldrig utveckla dem, det vill säga vad som händer när man ser en bra film, eventuella invändningar hinner aldrig få fotfäste.
Nya öl
Saison d’Erpe-Mere
Kissmeyer Smokey Oktober
Spaten Oktoberfestbier
Löwenbräu Oktoberfestbier
Chimay Dourée Goud – ännu en variant av den lilla knubbiga, men under 5%, har svårt att nå upp till de andra, även i smak
Innis & Gunn Oloroso Cask
agoraspeaks 