Le Lance-Pierres

I remember that when I was about ten, one of my mom's friends mentioned a movie about a boy in 1920s Sweden, and mentioned the title. Well, I've finally seen Åke Sandgren's "Kådisbellan" ("The Slingshot" in English). What an impressive piece of work. This focus on the torment suffered by the young protagonist due to his half-Jewish background and family's leftist views puts everything together perfectly. It always worth noting that Sweden in the '20s was not the social democracy that we now know; the country was just as stratified as the rest of Europe. A general strike in 1931 brought to power a leftist government that established the social programs that Sweden's enjoyed ever since.

Anyway, the movie tells the story perfectly. Seeing what the boy goes through, it's no wonder that he starts doing what he does. Definitely see it.

Tomas Norström (the boxing trainer) died of cancer earlier this month.

Sit back and enjoy it. It is well done. It has a good story line and will entertain you and your family. The acting is excellent, color and photography are excellent as well. A real surprise of a movie. The boy in it is really innovative. Making slingshots out of condoms. Wow!

This film from the early 1990's is similar to MY Life as a Dog, by Ingamar Bergman. Like Bergman's tale, this film is seen through the eyes of a young boy. The adversity he faces as the son of a Russian Jew and a Socialist are portrayed with humour and intensity. SBS did very well once again to screen this film in 1998.

"Slingshot" is a gem: beautiful, rare and one in a million.

Yet another great movie set in the 50s about growing up. It just says it all. it is impossible to break the spirit of this young boy, how hard the xenophobic school and society try. An important and beautiful film indeed.