2012 marks the anniversary of famous playwright/author August Strindberg who wrote several world renowned books and plays.
To celebrate this anniversary SVT(Swedish public service TV)has decided to show several TV-productions, documentaries and other Strindberg related programs on Swedish TV.
One of these more odd choices with a different approach to Strindberg, life and works is this documentary/audition tape, that is related to another documentary "Rädda Fröken Julie/Save Miss Julie".
"Rädda Fröken Julie/Save Miss Julie". is a documentary about a feminist interpretation of Strindbergs famous play Miss Julie written in 1888.
She's Blonde Like Me (2011)and "Rädda Fröken Julie/Save Miss Julie". are both directed by the same director Fia-Stina Sandlund.
Sandlund and actress Alexandra Dahlström(mostly famous from Fücking Åmål/Show Me Love) decides to do a sort of performance art piece of Strindbergs text, Dahlström will through method acting "be" Julie and answer questions from a live audience.
But not everything goes according to plan....
There are so many flaws to this documentary/art film that I don't where to really start.
The idea is pretty brilliant but the execution is so poorly that one wonders why Fia-Stina Sandlund/Alexandra Dahlström even tried to make this film to begin with.
Strindberg who was a controversial(still is) writer and his texts have been numerous times been accused of showing deep resentment and misogyny against women.
Time and time again, he gets accused by feminists to show little if no understanding for the female sex.
But this film and other film "Rädda Fröken Julie/Save Miss Julie". barely scrapes on the surface of this.
Instead we get a lot of discussions about the texts where Alexandra Dahlström/Fia-Stina Sandlund tries to analyze the text from their point of view.
Alexandra Dahlström comes across as very serious,intelligent, professional, actress who possesses multilingual skills. The flip side is her confidence borders to arrogance, and at times she sounds very condescending and self absorbed.
Fia-Stina Sandlund is very passionate about this project and her feminist views. But at times comes across as very dogmatic (Dahlströms reflections throws her off balance sometimes)doesn't know what film she is making, and can't add to the Strindberg discussion.
But the viewers get no input from example, other people trying(or have tried) to interpret the same text. It would been interesting to see what actress Anna Pettersson could add to this discussion and the other film, because she is doing her one man(or woman) show of the same text.
Or why not interview famous Swedish actresses/actors like Thommy Berggren, Bibi Andersson, etc and what they think, when working with this text and Strindbergs complicated relationship to women.
But we get nothing of this nor do we get any other input from famous culture personalities like Eva Beckman, Ebba Bratt Wittström etc.
What the film does have is strange, unfocused mess that doesn't add much to the this interesting angle. Add some brief mentioning of a Strindberg curse that only(or so it seems) affect women trying to adapt, or deal with Strindbergs works.
This is truly a wasted opportunity, I had expecting more from Fia-Stina Sandlund/Alexandra Dahlström.
Perhaps they can do another film, and this time really delve deeper into this discussion about Strindberg and portrayal and relationship to women?
They should definitely watch Loaded Gun: Life and Death and Dickinson (2002)and then try again.
