Ondskan

This is a great film. Truly outstanding. The characters are real and the story, however farfetched, rings true to life. Particularly enjoyable is the internal fight that transforms Erik from an angry youth to a man. And who could forget Andears' handsome good looks?!? Watch out Hollywood! Better prepare for the Swedish invasion! If you have the opportunity to see this film, do. It's well worth your time and money.

Swedish "Ondskan" competed against a strong field in the Foreign Language Film category in last year's Oscar which was won deservedly by Canada's "Les Invasions Barbares". While my personal favorite is "Tasogare Seibei", Ondskan is a worthwhile contender.

The scene is familiar, boarding school bullying, upper class domination and violence. The message however is broader and more general. Ghandi has been mentioned a couple of times in the movie, which reminds me as well of the "enduring" heroes in the westerns in the fifties who adhere steadfastly to their principle, refusing to be provoked into violence (the best example is The Big Country). The motivation of the "hero" in Ondskan is however a little less lofty, as I'm going to explain.

Thanks to his dominating and sadistic step-father, Erik (Andreas Wilson) is well-equipped to endure violence and abuse when he is sent to a prestigious boarding school after causing a lot of problems at his local high school. While a veteran perpetrator of violence himself, Erik is effectively constrained as if by a spell cast by the boarding school: anyone fighting with a member of the student council will be expelled.

Most of the movie surrounds the senior students' tyrannizing over the juniors, and it gets a bit too long. There's no point in elaborating other than saying that the violence is not particularly graphic (accepting that some may disagree) and if you're going to throw up in the cinema, it's most likely due to some other revolting scenes, the details of which I'll spare. Although Erik's motivation in enduring the abuses and violence is essentially self-preservation (from expulsion), he does earn the audience admiration, which makes the poetic justice at the end rather sweet.

A great part of the movie's success owes to Wilson's excellent performance. Although most of the audience start with thinking that Erik is the "evil" character, they would soon turn completely around and empathize with him, and eventually love him. Also excellent is Henrik Lundstrom, playing Erik's meek, plump roommate who is victimizes as he becomes the villains' tool to break tough Erik. In addition to this affecting friendship, there are two other sub-plots which enrich the movie without detracting from the main theme. One is Erik's romance with a maid at the school. The other is his success with the school's swimming team.

Finally, one interesting point is that Erik's way out, his "court of final appeal", turns out to be indeed the legal route. While this makes it a little bit of a fairy tale ending, there is something to ponder over. There may really be numerous pockets of quasi jurisdictions such as the boarding school that really need to be straighten out by the real legal system. That point I'll leave to the legal experts.

I wonder, as I write this, why a film like Ondskan hasn't received commercial distribution in the States. Perhaps distributors assume Americans are too removed from the world of mid-century upper class boy's boarding schools in Sweden to relate to the film, which is our loss. Ondskan presents a microcosm of cruelty, status, and one-upsmanship - one might say evil - that exists in such an institution. Every year we read another horror story of a hazing gone too far. Children trounce their playmates. There's plenty of physical aggression among boys. The latest discussion concerns what among girls is called relational aggression, in which an individual is harmed through the hurtful manipulation of peer relationships and/or their friendships. .Neal LaBute has taken the idea of sadistic relationships to the American workplace in 'In the Company of Men' and to the suburbs in 'Your Friends and Neighbors'. There have certainly been other films tackling this particularly subject of sadism in boarding schools, Young Torless (Der Junge Törless) in 1966, comes especially to mind. What is captivating about Ondskan ('Evil') is both cinematic and psychological. The world of this o-so reputable boys school is painted in earth tones and fine wood with muted light rendering its cold emotions. The set design by Anna Asp (who's has done some other great looking films) lets us feel as though we have lived in this space. The lead character, Erik Ponti, at first we think will be the embodiment of the 'evil' of the title. He is regularly and systematically strapped by his stepfather. He transfers that frustration to his own classmates, which is what gets him sent to the boarding school in question. There he is ritually brutalized by the upperclassmen, which is, we are led to understand, the expected behavior in this hierarchy. To the administration and faculty this is apparently part of school tradition. Eric's initial unwillingness to fight back, despite a similar unwillingness to bend to arbitrary, sadistic, and unwritten rules, is relentlessly frustrating. As an audience we really want him to act. But his honor, his fortitude, and the fact his mother has hocked some heirlooms to pay tuition, keep him from lashing back. We are thus submitted to the same unremitting abuses with no real payoff. I will refrain from revealing the end, but it is not when or what you might expect. The result is a great ride and an elating experience. The audiences at Harvard, where I saw the film, applauded afterward. It's not a perfect film. There are clichés and expected set-ups. Still the mushy adolescence of the actors cast in these parts is consistently smart. The music is tasteful and well used. The direction is subtle and the violence is felt more than seen, but when it happens it is as ugly as it deserves to be.

I just saw "Ondskan" and I have to admit: It's one of the best films I've ever seen. I own approx. 200 DVDs and this is among the 5 best, without doubt. I also gave it a ten at the vote. What I don't understand is why the majority of voters have given this movie a 7. With an average of 7.7 that almost the same as "Secondhand Lions" on 7.4 - and that sucked(at least compared to this Oscar-nominated film). Maybe the reason it's so low is because the movie is made in a foreign language, so the American or non-Scandinavian speaking people won't understand all the points. This could very well be it. I just want future viewers of this IMDb-profile to know that there are others who also disagree on the grade given. And please reply to my comment if you agree.

I have lately been trawling through Swedish movies, in an effort to watch as many as I can. I have not yet come across one that I didn't at least appreciate. The Scandinavians are remarkable story-tellers, and can teach the rest of the world a thing or two about good story-telling in film. What surprises me the most is why it is the rest of the world does not know about and applaud this film. As an examination of bullying and abuse it is extraordinary.

"Ondskan" is the story of one teenage boy's experiences of bullying - both as a perpetrator and also from the receiving end - firstly at the hands of his bitter & twisted stepfather, then in the school-yard at his high school, and lastly at an exclusive boarding school to which he is sent by his mother. It is a highly charged movie, and will be too much for some more sensitive viewers, but tells a very important story of how it is bullying is perpetrated, justified, institutionalised, and then passed on so that the behaviour continues.

There is little to place this story in an historical context other than the music and the rather odd dress of the late 1950's. The culture of the school to which Erik Ponti is sent is one in which the members of the Council - the Boss Boys - ritually bully the younger boys, and the school staff turn a blind eye. To fight back by striking a Council member is to invite expulsion, and Erik cannot risk this. Andreas Wilson has a strong presence, and is believable as Erik, and Henrik Lundstrom, who plays the sensitive Pierre, is worthy of mention also. I came across this movie because I was searching for movies featuring Gustaf Skarsgard. In "Ondskan" Skarsgard plays the student we all want to hate - the top bully - and he does it well. Later in the movie we are given a brief insight into what drives him, and the degree of pain he experiences on a daily basis. Great writing!!

The only real gripe I had while watching this film was the swimming style of Erik's character. He was meant to be a top swimmer, and yet while doing freestyle his arms barely managed to get out of the water. With a swimming stroke like that he'd never make it to be top swimmer at any school. Picky, I know, but it bothered me.

If I could give this film 12 stars I would.