Films & Schedules - SWEDEN

Eklund’s surreal, acid-drenched film has been described as being like a Coen Brothers version of “The Office.” A deadpan comedy about phone towers, online dating, the odd tarantula, and a militant group of people allergic to electricity, Flicker is set in the small town of Backberga where a local telecom company is planning to freshen up its profile under a clueless CEO. Meanwhile, the accounts person is trying to find love online, the cleaning lady fancies herself an inventor, and, out in the field, the linesman toys with death. Weaving in and out of these individual stories, Eklund offers a...

Eklund’s surreal, acid-drenched film has been described as being like a Coen Brothers version of “The Office.” A deadpan comedy about phone towers, online dating, the odd tarantula, and a militant group of people allergic to electricity, Flicker is set in the small town of Backberga where a local telecom company is planning to freshen up its profile under a clueless CEO. Meanwhile, the accounts person is trying to find love online, the cleaning lady fancies herself an inventor, and, out in the field, the linesman toys with death. Weaving in and out of these individual stories, Eklund offers a bittersweet satire while building a warm, if often absurd, picture of ordinary people trying to find their place in a rapidly changing world. (100 mins.)

First Feature.

Winner of the Best Swedish Feature Award at the Gothenburg International Film Festival.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: New Directors, Narrative Feature, Comedy.

The Last Sentence is a biographical drama chronicling the career of celebrated Swedish journalist Torgny Segerstedt, who conducted his own crusading campaign against the Nazis while navigating a fraught personal life. Officially neutral, Sweden’s leaders did their best to silence Segerstedt, fearing German reprisal, especially as the journalist began inciting the ire of top Nazi officials. Troell adds an element of the supernatural as Segerstedt is visited by the ghosts of his lovers, something that, rather than haunting him, gives him bleak pleasure in a chaotic world. Reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, The Last Sentence tells a melancholic tale...

The Last Sentence is a biographical drama chronicling the career of celebrated Swedish journalist Torgny Segerstedt, who conducted his own crusading campaign against the Nazis while navigating a fraught personal life. Officially neutral, Sweden’s leaders did their best to silence Segerstedt, fearing German reprisal, especially as the journalist began inciting the ire of top Nazi officials. Troell adds an element of the supernatural as Segerstedt is visited by the ghosts of his lovers, something that, rather than haunting him, gives him bleak pleasure in a chaotic world. Reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, The Last Sentence tells a melancholic tale about aging, told through the story of a man of great importance to Swedish journalism and politics. (126 mins.)

Selected Filmography: The Emigrants (71), Flight of the Eagle (82), Hamsun (96), As White as in Snow (01), Everlasting Moments (08)

Winner of the New Director Award at the Montreal Film Festival.

Sponsored by New Sweden and the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, History.