Swedish Film

Storm (2005) - SWE

Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, Directors.
Starring: Eric Ericson, Eva Rose and Jonas Karlsson

Billed in the United States as a horror flick, Storm is much closer to a postmodern morality tale -- a bit of the Odyssey meets the Glass Menagerie.  Despite not really understanding the United States’ marketing of this film, I found it well worth watching.  It has brief moments of social commentary -- such as when DD (Donny Davidsson) comments that marriage is just about joints -- joint bank accounts, joint tax returns and joint custody.
     The strength of the film, and spoiler alert -- the point is that the movie reflects the internal struggle of a young man, who due to a childhood trauma, failed to deal with the basic questions and issues one faces as a young person growing up and assuming his or her place in society.  In fact, tormented and pursued by angels and demons, DD seems to have the fate of the entire human race in his hands -- though possibly it is only his own sanity at stake.  Regardless, Storm presents an exciting and “action packed” tale of one young man’s journey into self acceptance and adult hood. 
    Noting that Storm is often compared to the Matrix -- I found the connection to be less direct, and felt that Storm is much more enjoyable with more focus on production talent and less emphasis on special effects.  I submit the scene where DD crashed the café frequented by the cab drivers.
    P.S. The sequel promises to be just as good -- DD has or has not come to grips with himself and his inner demons -- will DD also come to terms with society and deal with the fact that the police are still after him?


originally published on Prairie Swede 15 June, 2010

Dark Nights and Icelandic Souls

White Night Wedding (2008)

ICE, Baltasar Kormákur, Director
Starring: Johan Sigurdarson, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Hilmikr Snaer Gudnasson, Margaret Vilhjalmsdóttir, Laufy Eliasdóttir

    At risk of sounding overenthusiastic, Baltasar Kormákur’s White Night Wedding absolutely floored me.  Following on the footsteps of The Sea, White Night Wedding places Icelandic cinema firmly within the greater Scandinavian cultural tradition.  While you can easily sit back and enjoy this movie merely for its beautiful portrayal of an ever-inspiring landscape, and its singular Icelandic humor, Kormákur would seem to accomplish ever so much more – in fact, despite the film’s pedigreed relationship to Anton Chekov’s play, Ivanov,  I felt that the film could also be alternately titled “Adventures of Tesman,  Hedda Gabbler’s Forgotten Mate” after one of Henrik Ibsen’s most memorably forgettable characters.

    Reminiscent of Ingrid Bergman, Kormákur seems to take Soren Kierkegaard, the Nordic Philosopher, straight-on.  In fact, Kormákur does Bergman one better by allowing Kierkegaard to take his silly and illogical leap of faith, and to benefit by it.  Where Bergman often mired himself in Scandinavian tragic morosity, both Lasse Hallström, a fellow Scandinavian, and Kormákur have allowed their characters to relax, literally take the leap of faith, and hit a stable grounding wherein happiness or contentment can be found without a steep loss of personal direction or universal grounding.  Perhaps all is summed up best in a near-closing quote by Jon as professor, “The purpose of life isn’t death, even if that is the end result.  Just as love or happiness isn’t the purpose of life, as such…rather the quest.  The quest for love, the quest for happiness”.