The best of days

Where people meet, networking at the Queen Victoria. Photo: Chris Gardner

A very good morning to all you Sweden.se readers. Yesterday was a great film day. Yes, I’m a straight shooter, right to the point, but just don’t ask me to shoot you. I’m not a fighter, I’m a bleeder.

The reasons why yesterday was of such delightfulness are many. It started early when I went to see the first batch of Swedish films competing for Best Of Sweden and we had some pretty strong contenders this time around. In fact my favourite film of the festival (so far) was shown here.  It’s called Wanted To Be Friends (Jag Ville Va Doms Kompis) and it’s a beautiful short documentary about a bunch of kids at a youth centre, we’re talking six to eleven-year-olds. Just the opening of the film makes your face want to leak.

These two kids are getting interviewed when a little girl walks up behind them crying. They ask her why and she says over and over again that nobody wants to be friends with her. Soon the film sets its mark and that mark is the fragile line friendship really is for these young ones. One of the young boys even says that he won’t promise anything because promises are for nerds. The only problem the film had was that it wasn’t longer. I would park myself and watch this documentary even if it was Lord Of The Rings long.

Later during the day I saw another Swedish short that really thought outside the box when it comes to storytelling. It’s about a woman that in order to get this job she needs to pitch her life as a trailer for a film. The great thing about it was that they had actually hired the guy that does all the Hollywood trailers. What started off as this great comedy bit turns later on becomes a marvelous love story between two friends. The film is of course called My Life As A Trailer (Mitt Liv Som Trailer).

I ended the night at the pub Queen Victoria, which is used as the official film festival pub. Right when I walk in the door I meet the directors of the last film I saw for the night, Elephant Skin (Elefantenhaut), from Austria. We talked film school and a lot of the process behind making film. A few beers later we said that we would try to meet later during the week for a proper interview so cross your fingers.

Before I end I just want to point out that of course I saw a few films that I really didn’t like, but there’s too much love in the air to trash someone’s film because if you face facts, they got a film showing at the festival, have you?