| SWEDEN |
| EVIL |
Mikael Håfström |
Håfström’s adaptation of one
of the most heralded books in modern Swedish literature (a
memoir by journalist Jan Guillou) offers a vivid, portrait
of the class system at work in 1950s Sweden. James Dean-like
Erik keeps getting expelled for fighting despite being a good
student. His mother gives him one last chance at Sjärnsberg,
an exclusive boarding school. There he is quickly introduced
to the pecking order: older students mete out punishments
to younger ones, while the teachers remain aloof. Refusing
to knuckle under to the arrogant bullies who run the place,
but unable to fight back himself, he’s forced to tolerate
humiliation, and the torture of his friends before something
has to give. But there are pluses: he befriends Pierre, his
roommate and the smartest student in the schools, becomes
the star of the swimming team and romances a Finnish kitchen
worker. While Evil relentlessly depicts a battle between good
and evil for the soul of a young man in an arena of violence
and hypocricy, it does so in entertaining fashion. (114 mins.)
This year’s Swedish submission for the Best Foreign
Film Oscar. Print courtesy Swedish Film Institute.
Selected
Filmography: Days Like This (01).
SHOWTIMES: 2/25, 7pm GU; 2/27,
6pm B1 and 2/28, 4:30pm GU. |
|
| KOPS |
Josef Fares |
Fares’ charming, quirky comedy takes
place in the small Swedish town of Högboträsk, where
there hasn’t been a single crime in over 10 years. Ideal
for the four-man police force, whose main activities are eating
waffles and playing poker. They love the town and can’t
imagine living anywhere else. When they hear that their station
is being closed down and they’ll be transferred elsewhere,
they concoct a phony crime spree in the hope that their services
won’t be terminated. Filled with comic chaos and pitch-perfect
performances, Kops is a lighthearted, fantasy-filled parody
of police action films and a celebration of a quieter way
of life featuring a delightful group of truly eccentric characters.
(90 mins.)
Selected Filmography: Gangstaz n Cash (96), Jalla, Jalla!
(00).
SHOWTIMES: 2/21, 1pm; 2/22,
3:45pm B1 and 2/24, 6pm B2. |
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