Adam & Eva

A hilarious comedy that sends up film techniques while providing an interesting character study. The film begins where Hollywood romances leave off. A young firefighter saves a woman from a blazing building. They kiss and fall in love. The closing credits roll. Then Adam and Eva begins.

It's exuberant directing never overshadows the characters that make up its story. The romance seems to have faded from their relationship and the couple discusses divorce. Then Adam has an affair and the ball gets rolling.

Sometimes a little too much is compacted into the story, as though the filmmaker knew this was the only film they'd ever make, and they wanted to get everything in it.

This is a marvelous film. Authenticity is its most prominent feature and also its strength; the movie is - in my opinion - THE most accurate description of Stockholm in the 1990's, all cultural expressions accounted for. Typically Swedish phenomena like "the 90's disease" - a post-Swedish Welfare State societal maelstrom affecting the thirty-year-olds and the even younger population - and as well as the somewhat timeless emotional struggling in trying to fit into your "age slot" are depicted with the strokes of geniuses. I myself have seen the film about twenty times over a period of seven years, and I am experiencing new aspects of it as I grow older, noticing new details every time I watch it. To sum up: It's a must-see.

I hoped a lot for this movie. I was ,to my surprise, very disappointed. The dialogues were stupid and the situation comedy just didn't make me laugh. What people always have been talking about is how good this movie should be or how romantic it was. I must say that it WAS NOT romantic. The two leadingcharacters didn't spark enough for me. There are better movies to see if you want to see a romantic comedy. Anything with Meg Ryan in for example. * * ½ out of * * * * *

Another of these tragicomical Swedish films with the improbability of being couples and another of these unmale leads with no direction in his life. If there ever have been any macho ideals among the Swedish stereotypes these ar long way gone, and no regrets for that. But beware of Swedish comedies, very few are funny and even less intelligent.

I watched this movie for the first time when it was new. I was then in the same age as most of the characters: that is around 30. I loved it a lot then, because you can relate to so much that troubles you in that age: should I have children, or should I go for the big career instead? How long dare I wait with trying to have children? Is my boyfriend really the right man for life? Or can there be someone better and more exciting out there? Could the great, big love of my life in fact turn out to be an old friend..?

What you do not know when you are 30, is of course that 20 years later you will hardly regret anything... Because life will have fallen into a certain pattern - with or without children, with or without career, with this man or that - and you will have "lived in" this life, and you cannot think of another life anymore, and all the burning feelings and big worries you had then seem far away... Because NOTHING really matters that much in the long run. You will still become old...

The directors Holm and Herngren, who have made several very good Swedish movies together, are experts in finding the situations that many people, and (for some things) especially Swedes can relate to, and to find the funny side of them. It is a good thing to feel: "I am not alone". They can also capture the essence of Sweden - such as the beautiful streets of Stockholm among all the water, the visit to IKEA, and the lavish Midsummer Night celebration.

Just one thing more: this is NOT a romantic movie, and I do not believe it is supposed to be either. The characters are in no way romantic, tragic or especially attractive - they are just ordinary, like you and I!