Happy Sweden

Young Swedish director Ruben Östlund made a strong debut with "Gitarrmongot". It was a very personal way of narration. In "De ofrivilliga" he gives even more promises.

Five episodes, involving five very different kinds of Swedish people. But they get one thing in common and that is a very destructive group pressure in very different ways. The acting is really superb, although you hardly have seen any of these people on the screen before, with the exception of Maria Lundquist.

Östlund works with very special camera angles. Sometimes you don't see the heads of those who are talking. Sometimes you will have to look around for a couple of seconds to find the main character, who is somewhere else than you're used too. This is a challenging movie in many ways, which makes you think and feel. And there are truly strong thoughts and feelings.

Difficult to believe this was chosen as the 2008 Swedish entry at Cannes and as best foreign language film at the A.A.! Must have been a lean year. Perhaps director Ruben Ostlund should have stuck with making Ski films - as this could be watched in 2 x speed and nothing would be missed. Boring, static single camera setups that when not cutting off people's heads - concentrates on feet while 'attempting' to tell a simple story. It looks and feels like something intended as a series of short, educational vignettes, that were then found to be highly unsuitable for school use so, strung together for Cinema or TV. Any interest is quickly killed off by overlong scenes that ramble aimlessly with very little point of view to sustain its 100 min run time. Only the easily pleased lovers of cheap experimental or student style works could find much interest. One story involving a bunch of young men on a drunken weekend could have easily been dropped and is especially vulgar. Such an unpleasant disappointment.

The camera angles were interestingly different. Made you think about the conversations and not focus so much on the shallowness of what I call: eye candy syndrome, which Hollywood so likes to depict. One thing that did disturb me when reading reviews was that a few of the very positive ones contained the same misspellings. That is hardly a coincidence. Back to the film: There seemed to be too many thematic subplots going on, despite other reviews that seem to say: "hey, that mirrors life". But generally, the film was entertaining and was an interesting diversion. The homo-erotic male-bonding deal with the guys seemed a bit contrived. I couldn't figure the rhyme or reason there.

Brilliantly simple in its story, yet it engages you right throughout, Simple doesn't necessarily mean it is not deep and meaningful. This film with its raw truth and its meaningful exchanges, I'ts a typical low budget foreign film, in that it is brilliant(though some of the low budget films are not).

Brilliant acing by the actors, especially the young girls, and a brilliantly shot film with unusual angles and unusual filming shots, that work well to frame the story.

A Swedish take on life with dramatic acting and choice of matter, brilliant on all levels and a must see, a clear 8/10.

Brilliant film by Ruben Östlund and the cast! This is sheer perfection from the first frame to the last one, and the battle for next year's Best Swedish Film Award seems to be decided. Here is the best Swedish picture in years. It displays in five parallel stories how people reject from speaking up when they have the opportunity, due to more or less rational fears, and once the right moment has slipped away it becomes multiply difficult later.

Most of the parts are played by actors unknown to me, and they are all fantastic. In every scene the dialogue is performed the way people actually speaks in real life (And I'm Swedish, I know what it should sound like.), it's believable and absorbing. Nowhere to be heard is the theatrical and stiff line delivery that so often haunts Swedish cinema. The images are often still in unorthodox angles, while people pass in and out. It is highly innovative and it works out extraordinarily well.

The film is filled with hilarious lines, but it is serious all the way, and the humour is of the kind that makes me shiver with embarrassment. It is downright painful to watch these awkward situations and know that I could so easily be a part of something similar in real life. Not least, the problems with partying and binging is displayed in a refreshingly non-romantic manner. It is all, simply, brilliant!