tangfors

It's not terribly bad, but it's far from good either. It doesn't have much of a story. You also don't feel anything for the people involved, you get far too little character development to feel anything for them. I also get the feeling throughout the film that it's not real, which of course it isn't since it's a film, but a war film that's supposed to be realistic, you want to get the feeling of authenticity, but you don't get that here. There are also a lot of choices made by the characters that don't feel believable and also quite stupid.

A lot also feels illogical, why some characters want to kill another even though they're on the same side for example.

The Swedes feel stupid and naive, the Finns or the Finn are of course supposed to be the tough one, but you don't buy it. The Germans feel extremely stereotypical Nazis.

I think there's a lot that's wrong, the script is quite thin, the acting is uneven, and some actors don't feel like they fit the roles. But above all, it's probably a directing problem.

It's a shame because it could be an interesting story to tell, about the Swedes who guarded the border with Norway, where smuggling occurred, but also help to the Norwegian resistance movement, espionage, etc.

I think it's quite rare for filmmakers to be able to mix humor and drama, but in this one they succeed really well. Still, that's not what makes the film so good, but the characters are absolutely wonderful, the way the director brings out the mentality of the countryside in Sweden. As well as the very beautiful picturesque Swedish countryside.

When I think about it, I didn't particularly like the film when I was younger, it was neither good nor bad, but the older I get the more I love it.

If you're going to see it, make sure to watch it in full length. 127 minutes, I've seen that many streaming services have a shortened version, I saw one of them and they had cut out some of the best scenes, which also made the escalation in the drama feel artificial and unnatural.

I am writing this review in 2025. Almost 30 years later from when the film was made, so it is more of a nostalgia trip. This film really breathes the late 90s in Sweden, big city life. The film itself is not bad, nor is it anything special. It is really carried by the actors. Sometimes it can feel a bit like short sketches put together that spoil the flow a bit. Not everything is funny and has not always aged well, but some things are still funny. But above all it will be a lovely nostalgia trip, to a period that you quite often (I do anyway) miss.

Then I had to type forty four more characters.