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The English title should be added to IMDb: how can that be done? I saw Four Shades of Brown (with English subtitles) in Copenhagen

A wonderful mix of brownish-black humour and, amid the playfulness, a good dose of wistful melancholy - this film captures a particular (and compelling) view of Swedish life today, better than any other film in recent years. The subtle ironies and rather self-conscious social commentary will probably be lost on those who have not lived in Sweden or had a fair bit of contact here.

It's hard to know how enjoyable these four stories would be to someone who knows little about Sweden and contemporary Swedish-ness. In might help, for example, to enjoy the comic artistry of Robert Gustafsson, without having in mind his many appearances on Swedish TV. But in some ways, this background is the main point. One of the film's triumphs is Gustafsson's love-hate light-dark creation of the everyday absurdities of `normal' family life here. If you don't recognise the humour in the use of regional accents, for example, you'll be missing a lot of the fun.

Nevertheless, Four Shades has plenty to offer anyone willing to think outside their own set of cultural references. At least a couple of the storylines are, in themselves, quite captivating.

Don't be put off the title. If you're looking for pretty images of Sweden, the opening shots alone will satisfy. Personally I was pleased that at least it finally rained at the beachside hotel, one morning.

Presumably SVT (Swedish public service TV) will show this gem within a year or two. Surely!? It's a big shame that it doesn't seem to be getting much of a run in the Swedish cinemas.

[This is my first review for IMDb - jono_nath AT hotmail DOT-U-know-what :-]

This movie must be exported to the rest of the world! An absolute masterpiece, with a both bizarre and grim film about four different stories from four different locations in Sweden. The one with the newly renovated hotel with the improper wooden figure of an old finance minister is absolutely the best of the four, odd story about love or career. I would love to see all four as a film on their own they can be so much more extended.

Also the unique pause in the middle is something I've never seen before.

Can't wait for the series (if they're doing one) or the extended DVD. Apparently they had cut out a lot to fit it in to just 3,5 hours.

During the making of this movie I once caught a statement on television about it. Something like: "Is Killinggänget now taking off Nazism?"

So, my comprehension of this movie, was from the beginning to get a notion of Nazism. When recently seeing this movie in the TV-version I had this filter before me and it wasn't difficult to see this.

Strangely enough I haven't met this way of interpreting the film ever since I first heard it.

These are the things I found in "Four shades of brown". In all four of the stories the lack of empathy leads to disaster:

1. The crematory-worker shows no realistic empathy to the dead animals or to those who had to say goodbye to them. In the crematory-room in dealing with death and fire it's almost like a cheerful game to him. The seriousness of death and fire is not emphasized by the father and his boy accordingly, in ignorance pushes a button that leads to the disaster that injures his father severely.

Possible lesson: The importance of showing the young adequate emotions. When they grow up they need to know what behavior leads to disaster and what emotions lead to good.

2.The magician maneuvers his wife like an invisible puppeteer. Just when she thinks she has begun to cut off the strings to the masters hand, reaching for personality, integrity and joy, he pulls hard and she is back in desolation and despair.

Their son has tried to revolt in creating his own life with perfection and "good" taste in opposite to his parents "bad" taste. The real problem he is carrying within is far from comprehensible to him: His fathers behavior passes on when suffocating his own wife in his spotless environment.

Possible lesson: Oppression breeds bondage.

3.The father who was abused as a child passes on sadism to his children when he cheats them on their inheritance. He robs them of their childhood and in the end even of their inheritance.

Possible lesson: When no love given you cannot give any.

4.The fathers abuse of his daughter creates in her a ruthless revenger with sadistic aggression. Here the ice cold Nazi-sadism becomes very obvious in physical violence. It gives a possible background and a somewhat plausible explanation to the actions of young "scin-head"-nazists behavior when oppressing others.

Possible lesson? : Can Nazism take birth in a pervert home?

Can the hideous consequence of ignoring empathy in family life, in the long run, be that room is given to sadistic Nazism ?

Very seldom does a movie contains so much. It reveals little by little as I meditate on it. I consider it brilliantly "painted" and the actors are superb. Especially the nice-seeming bloke played by Ulf Brunnberg that turns out to be the worst of all..

The movie is very long and hard to get at first. It takes a bit of time to understand how the four different stories relate to one another. The theme they are pushing on is fatherhood. All stories are somehow related to fathers. The story hands us an insight in the swedish culture and how it affects the different characters in their unique stories that the movie tells us about. How you "should" react in different situations and how people around you react when difficult problems hit you.

I for one enjoyed the movie and i often recognised the characters from my normal day life. It reflected the swedishness in a way that i never have seen before. This I think, is a movie for those who more or less understand the typical Swedish culture. If you like it you should also look into "Ben & Gunnar - En Liten Film Om Manlig Vänskap" which is another "Killinggänget" production.

This is one of the two best recent Swedish films I've seen, and not surprisingly it's Tomas Alfredson which is the director. It's a funny film to watch, but there's a serious undertone here. The film is made by a group of Swedish comedians which are called "Killinggänget", and many of them are at least well know over most of Scandinavia. Some of them occurs in several roles in the four stories.

Some might be offended by the humor which is about very serious matters and even about very touchy subjects, making it even more funny in my opinion.

"Four shades of brown" tells four stories with the three hours the film last, and they are all somewhat connected in the title. In all four of the stories which are taking place in four opposite sides of this rather geographically large country, we see different relations between parents and kids, and the problems with these family relations, and the result of this.

The synopsis of the four stories are, in short, all leading to disasters:

1. A crematory-worker wants to show his line of work to his misguided and troubled son, because he feels forced to do so, something which he should never have done.

2. A magician couple comes to visit their son, which tries to step out of his own class after buying a up-class beach hotel. They are bringing a third wheel on the wagon, a Danish free spirited man, picked up by the wife, because she is sick and tired of her boring husband. It leads to disaster.

3. A free spirited horse trainer, which was abused as child, has become a worshiper of Buddha, and has never cared much for his three sons, dies, and cheats them from heritage.

4. A therapy group gathers several times and are being sincere about their problems, which include relations and dealing with the truth.

These four stories are in way from everyday Sweden, and they are all good enough to be film by themselves. They are all taken out on the edge, but with a darker meaning behind it all. The film poster are simply the Swedish flag painted in four shades of brown around the yellow cross. I am not the one to reveal what it's all about, but the title might refer to the Swedish plague of neo-Nazism and right extremism which has risen for the last decades. Is this film trying to give an input into that discussion? Are the fathers all ruining their kids?

A demanding film in many ways. Long, four stories which has a connection and difficult matters. The film resembles the brilliant "In order of disappearance", which is equally dark and funny, and also have a serious comment lying behind the story. Equally recommended, and a tad easier to watch as pure entertainment with it's single story and two running hours.