Farväl Falkenberg

I watched this without any expectations and was drawn in after some time. It has a very special vibe that I think might resonate more with people sharing the childhood-friendship-from-a-small-place-thing. The acting is effortless and makes the movie natural in the sense that you're tagging along a group and their conversations without really watching a film.

Don't expect a classic movies-movie if you know what I mean, this is more an artsy way of telling a story, and in contrast with another review I didn't find it artsy in a pretentious way at all. There's a lot of heart going in to this film and it touches upon the unspoken things under the surface, the frustrations of coming back where nothing moves forward and the comfort from the same phenomenon. A special film that left me feeling a little unease in a good way, looking back on life and reflecting on relationships in general.

This is not a movie for a conventional Friday evening. There really isn't a plot, until something happens after 70 minutes. There's conversation, some philosophy and most of the feelings are told by people's eyes.

This is definitely a young men's world. Men on the borderline in some ways. The only women are a couple of mothers, who can be laughed at, but suddenly you find that there's nothing really ridiculous about them.

Anyway, everything is somewhat pretentious. This movie is a little to eager in showing that it doesn't care about what you think. The possible interpretations are also a little too many, but surely there's much talent here. To be shown in the next movie.

How on earth were these guys given funds to make this movie? The lack of script is one thing, but the cinematography makes you want to weep. A hand held camera can be of great value to the look and feel of a movie but in that case you need a photographer who knows what he is doing. I am well aware that the actors are amateurs but it's of no defence since the director might be the least talented one ever directing in Sweden. It would be a shame for the industry if he (or any in the team for that matter) is given money to make a film ever again. This movie simply provides fuel to the argument that too many movies are made in Sweden each year.

As is said in another comment you can not be told whether you will like this film or not. You need to have something in your past or present that helps you enter this group and understand or feel the things that are left unspoken... and that is much. But if you have that, this film is rewarding, tragic, beautiful and painful. Very good!

The minimal form of the film is perfect for the on the surface minimal story. But as any minimal art the content is there, but you will need to do at least half of the work of finding it. I enjoy that kind of film, and since I am able to relate to the story a great deal, this film was perfect for me!

This memorable, visually unique, and sometimes very emotional story of a group of young friends whose lives implode after their schooling ends ranked among the top 3 films of the 15 or so I saw at the Toronto Film Festival. Unfortunately, the combination of $20 ticket prices and a 1 (out of 5) rating given this film by the major Toronto free weekly paper resulted in relatively few audience members taking a chance on the work of a first-time director. Moreover, I will say that this is not a film for everyone, and that there were a fair number of walk-outs at the screening I saw.

All that said, I think those who appreciate films that approach storytelling from a truly cinematic perspective -- that is, where the shots, the editing, the sound design, and the music tell the story as much as the action and dialogue do -- will find a lot to love here. As others have noted, this film did share some aesthetic elements with the last few (excellent) features by Gus van Sant (Elephant, Gerry, and Last Days), but it mixes this feeling with some of the contagious warmth, humor, and genuine emotional impact of Lucas Moodysson's Together (2000).

I think that whoever gave this film that (fatal) 1-star rating in Toronto must have popped in a screener tape, seen a lot of out-of-work young people goofing around and cracking some coarse jokes, and then tuned out at about the ten minute mark, writing this one off as yet another debut filmmaker mining the "slacker" genre for low-grade yux -- admittedly an unappealing prospect. But there's so much more at work here, and those who stay engaged in the film will be rewarded with unconventional but emotionally honest (and first-rate!) storytelling.