Day one in Uppsala

On the streets of Philadelphia...I mean Uppsala. Photo: Chris Gardner

There we go. So far so good, kinda.  I’ve already had the chance to see the first batch of films that are competing for the “Best in Sweden” award and I am not really blown away. Since I arrived a little late in Uppsala I missed the first film, Seeds Of The Fall (Slitage), but I’ll catch it next time they show it. However, there were a couple that really stood out.

This Is Alaska totally won me over quickly. The film is about a group of Scandinavians that have moved to Alaska to find freedom after attending a workshop they took in the late 80’s in Germany. They call themselves extreme individualists and just to call yourself that you got my vote. The film is directed by Mårten Nilsson and Gunilla Heilborn.

Did you know that you get a longer jail sentence in Cuba if you kill a cow then if you would kill a man? This is one of the statements the other movie that really interested say. The film is Repainting Cuba and it’s a strong and direct film about the true Cuba.  It’s narrated like razor and it tells us what can happen to people if they talk and socialize too much with tourists.

Then there’s the lesser goods, the less strong, the ugly ducklings if you will.

First off it’s the movie Four Days Over Due (Fjärde Dagen Över Tiden), an animated film about a woman giving birth. This is a nice premise but where they take this film is really not where I wanted to go. It’s not good animation, it’s more the “arty” animated style and I’ve seen way too much of the mainstream way to take this in.

Densen is a film that mixes photos and music and all we get to see are power lines from different places around the world. The music is great, catches you. However the photos don’t and the camera swirls around and around so it feels like you’re in a washing machine and you just want to get out. The title Densen means power line in Japanese.

Last but not least, well not when it comes to length, is The Gang Of Lidingö (Lidingöligan). This is also an animated film about a more socialistic family that leaves all behind to live on Lidingö (a little “nicer” community in Sweden). Here the three kids meet a gang of youngsters, all blond and blue eyed and rich like kings.  The premise of the film promises a lot and the animation is fantastic but as soon as too much politics come into the picture I go out of it. It’s not as funny as you’d hope and they few jokes in it you see from a mile away. However, it’s worth checking out just because of the animations.

We Swedes are really up there at the frontlines of animation battle, ready to take the world.