pump-the-base

It seems like most "professional" reviewers are trying to hype Jordskott as being the next Bron, particularly in Swedish newspapers. I started watching it with a very positive mindset with these opinions in mind. However I don't feel that the quality of the plot even comes close to it. Jordskott feels like a thinly veiled environmental propaganda piece about the dangers of corporate greed and the exploitation of natural resources. This would be fine if the writers had bothered to create a more immersive experience. There are too many loose threads that are never resolved, and on the contrary from Bron where you're kept guessing and wondering where the story will take you next the reveals of this story are mediocre and illogical. The police aren't clever, their reactions as events unfold aren't credible, the protagonist takes way longer than the audience to understand what's happening and the corporate greed angle is crude and illogical for anyone with even a tangential understanding of how a company works and how people think. It attempts to be a modern take on Äppelkriget without the humour. I'll watch it to the end to see how they manage to tie everything together as I've already reached episode 8, but I don't feel particularly optimistic. Such a wasted opportunity to do something really cool with the deep, mysterious forests of Sweden.

First of all let me say that I loved the book and read it several times over the years, so when I heard that there would be a movie adaptation I was excited. I was a bit skeptical however as the book is quite post-modern in its narrative, jumping between story lines and changing its style, so I wondered how it would translate. After finishing watching the movie I am impressed. Everything about the movie screams high production value. They've managed perfectly to capture the different lives and how they tie together. The impression is that of a quilt composed of many different fabrics all tied together into a unified piece. Parts of the movie gave me goosebumps for being so beautiful, both in visual style and overall message. The movie is close to 3 hours long, but on the contrary from some movies of similar length(*cough* Hobbit *cough*) where you look at your watch about two thirds in and wonder if it will end soon, this movie almost felt too short. I got so completely immersed in the story and the visuals and the almost universally great acting of the cast that when the credits rolled around I couldn't believe I had been sitting transfixed in front of the screen for such a long time. A tour de force that captures and enhances the mood of an already great story, and perhaps even makes it more accessible to a wider audience. Bravo!