New Scandinavian Films
Scandinavia House in New York has once again picked the best recent films from the Nordic region and is showing them as part of its popular annual Winter/Spring films series. Despite the fact that it began in February with a selection of films from Norway, the series continues on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons until the end of June with films from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.
If you’re a fan of classic Scandinavian films, it’s well worth popping along to watch some of the great new offerings from the region such as Hell is for Heroes from Finland and Thicker Than Water from Iceland. See below for full details of the films (which are all subtitled in English).
Also not to be missed, PD04 is a cultural sampler of the best experimental shorts, art films, and new music videos (including Sigur Rós and Múm) from contemporary Iceland that takes place on Thursday 12 April.
SWEDEN
Heartbreak Hotel Wednesday, March 28, 6:30 pm & Saturday, March 31, 3 pm
Directed by Colin Nutley (Sweden 2006). Two women (one divorced, the other a widow) initially dislike each other but later become friends and support each other as they fight their way towards new lives. The two actors own their (very different) characters: Bergström is outspoken and actively out there, while Lundquist’s character, Gudrun, is most often at home watching TV. That changes, however, when she discovers the dance club Heartbreak Hotel. The universal story is not new, but the performances are terrific, the tempo is brisk, and Stockholm looks very romantic photographed in warm, sensual colors. 110 min.
Love and War Wednesday, April 11, 6:30 pm & Saturday, April 14, 3 pm
Short film by Fredrik Emilson (Sweden, 2006). The world’s first original opera using animated puppets is infinitely charming, beautifully scored and sung, and impeccably cast. 15 min.
Wellkåmm to Verona (screened following Love & War)
Directed by Suzanne Osten (Sweden, 2006). With shades of Bergman - the three main actors have all played large roles in the Maestro’s films - but surprisingly funny as well as melancholic, the actors are astonishing in this wonderful love story for really grown-up people. Walter falls head over heels in love with Virginia, a former operetta actress who has recently moved into the luxury retirement home where he lives. He is a famous director who can no longer remember his past following a series of strokes. To win Virginia’s love he stages Romeo and Juliet with the residents. It looks as if his plan may succeed as everyone, except for Virginia, gets inspired by love. 90 min.
DENMARK
Allegro Wednesday, April 18, 6:30 pm & Saturday, April 21, 3 pm
Directed by Christoffer Boe (Denmark, 2005). Zetterstrøm, a famous concert pianist, returns after many years in New York to his native Copenhagen for a gala concert. He has lost all memory of his past, but when contacted by a mysterious messenger he connects with what made him run away years ago: his love for the captivating Andrea. In this sci-fi love story about dreams and identity, Boe’s visual brilliance engages the intelligence as well as the emotions of the audience. 88 min.
The Judge (Dommeren) Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 pm & Saturday, April 28, 3 pm
Directed by Gert Fredholm (Denmark, 2005). In this beautifully-played drama about the complexity of contemporary people's lives and responsibilities, a highly competent judge and new appointee to the Danish Refugee Board rules to deport a potential refugee, the poet and political activist Sergio Bliadze. A terrible accident occurs when Bliadze hears the verdict, and the judge is blamed for the mess by everyone; colleagues, the Prime Minister, and the media alike. In the midst of this professional crisis, his illegitimate 15-year-old son shows up, plunging his personal life into chaos as well. 105 min.
1:1 (One to One) Wednesday, May 2, 6:30 pm & Saturday, May 5, 3 pm
Directed by Annette K. Olesen (Denmark, 2006). All the best intentions are proved wrong in this insightful and moving feature dealing with the close and yet distant co-habitation of ‘old’ and ‘new’ Danes in the large, well-intentioned, and initially sought-after housing complexes ringing the larger cities. Per is badly beaten up on a Saturday night out and left comatose, and his sister’s boyfriend suspects that his older brother had something to do with the attack. The police haven’t a clue, and as emotions and suspicions reach critical mass and people take matters in their own hands, things spin out of control. 90 min.
FINLAND
Sami (Sámelainen) Wednesday, May 9, 6:30 pm & Saturday, May 12, 3 pm
Directed by Anastasia Lapsui and Markku Lehmuskallio (Finland, 2006). This film tries to answer the question “Who am I?” as it is put to the Sámi people by the director duo Anastasia Lapsui and Markku Lehmuskallio, who have brought some of the most moving stories about Europe’s last aboriginal people to Scandinavia House. The Sámi are spread over Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia and speak nine different languages. Their lives have changed tremendously since they began leaving the land and following work into the large cities. The directors investigate, in their unique manner, whether the change in lifestyle and surroundings has altered the Sámi way of looking at the world. 75 min.
Jade Warrior (Jadesoturi) Wednesday, May 16, 6:30 pm & Saturday, May 19, 3 pm
Directed by Antti-Jussi Annila (Finland, 2006). The first Finnish King Fu film and first ever Sino-Finnish co-production combines Finnish and Chinese mythologies in an homage to the King Fu genre strongly spiced with a truly original approach to Finland’s national epic, the Kalevala. Thousands of years ago in ancient China, a love-struck master swordsman fights against his destiny. He wants another chance to be reunited with his beloved, and he gets that chance in a faraway place and time—in the cold north of modern-day Finland. Impressive special effects blend with humor and pathos in this edgy, irreverent saga. 110 min.
Matti - Hell is for Heroes Wednesday, May 23, 6:30 pm & Saturday, May 26, 3 pm
Directed by Aleksi Mäkelä (Finland, 2006). Matti, which broke all audience records in Finland, is based on the life story of the famous ski-jumper Matti Nykänen, who won everything possible during his career, including four Olympic Gold medals and seven World Championship titles. But although he soars like an eagle in his sport, his life is littered with crash landings—all exposed in the headlines the next day. His road from worshipped athlete and national hero to tabloid laughing stock is basically a tragic story, but no one can deny the comic aspects of his unfortunate mishaps in this tragicomedy based on the unreal life of a real person. 130 min.
ICELAND
Thicker Than Water (Blóðbönd) Wednesday, May 30, 6:30 pm & Saturday, June 2, 3 pm
Directed by Árni Ólafur Ásgeirsson (Iceland, 2006). This is a beautifully controlled unfolding of the terrifying rage that lies just under the surface as a seemingly happy young couple awaits the birth of their second child. When their older son collapses during a soccer game, a blood test shows that Pétur is not the father of the boy, and everything changes. Striking performances by the two leads capture their characters’ stubborn selfishness, and Ásgeirsson’s sensitive, restrained direction tightens the film’s grip at each horrific emotional outburst. 90 min.
Children (Börn) Wednesday, June 6, 6:30 pm & Saturday, June 9, 3 pm
Directed by Ragnar Bragason (Iceland, 2006). This compelling look at a group of dysfunctional people in Reykjavík deals with the lives of people close to the bottom of the social ladder and their desperate attempts at survival. Shot in beautifully stylized black and white that complements the film’s dark atmosphere, the film is punctuated with sudden bursts of violence. The finely rounded characters - developed in collaboration with the cast - include a mother alone with her four children, an underworld thug trying to re-connect with his teenage son, and a single mother and her schizophrenic son. All are bound together in a story where unexpected twists and turns lead to a totally satisfying denouement. 92 min.
All films are subtitled in English.
Film Tickets: $8 ($6 ASF members). For reservations call +1 212 847-9746.
SPECIAL EVENT
PD04: New Videos from Iceland Thursday, April 12, 7:30 pm
PD04 is a cultural sampler of the best experimental shorts, art films, and new music videos from contemporary Iceland. From the mysterious performance videos of the country’s latest crop of young artists to the recognizable sounds of bands like Sigur Rós and Múm, PD04 celebrates the colorfully off-kilter vision of this unique island nation.
Tickets: $12 ($10 ASF members). For reservations call +1 212 847-9740.
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