If anything deserves to be called iconic, it's "Raggare!" directed by Olle Hellbom. I could actually end here and direct you to find a place where you can watch it. The film almost immediately creates an atmosphere that feels like the progenitor of a style that we could see in many works by iconic filmmakers in the following decades, focusing on socio-cultural themes. The talent of the young actors in "Raggare!" is truly impressive. Since the film is about the subculture called by that very name, they form the foundation of its storyline. Visually, the film is equally remarkable. Brilliant cinematography, often supported by music from the era that perfectly captures the 1950s vibe, could serve as a source of inspiration for creating music videos that today would be considered retro style. The story is told in a manner appropriate for youthful rebellion. Watching it in 2024, it's hard not to feel nostalgic for those times, even if you never lived in them. Personally, the film astonished me in a way that rarely happens. It definitely belongs in the top five of the films that surprised me the most. It's almost incomprehensible to me that I had never heard of it before. From the very beginning, it deserves to be regularly shown on the most well-known TV channels specializing in classic cinema. There are definitely too few films like this. The problem is that it's hard to expect anyone today or in the future to create anything in this now-forgotten style. Damn.
