Top 10 Swedish Movies
Considering that Sika only managed to get one Swedish movie into his 100 Greatest Movies of All Time list and at a lousy 89th place I just had to make sure that you all know about some other Swedish gems.
Here’s my Top 10 List of Swedish Movies:
10. Mitt liv som hund (My Life as a Dog) (1985)
Yeah, it made my list too…
9. Thriller: En Grym Film (Thriller: A Cruel Picture) [DVD] (1974)
Make sure to NOT see the longer extended version! It’s actually shorter on plot and they edited in pornographic close ups that is pretty damn tasteless considering that they try to spice up… rape scenes. But the original movie is great enough for Quentin Tarantino to rip off!
8. Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick (Everlasting Moments) [DVD]
Actually I could pick a bunch of other movies by director Jan Troell but then this Top Ten would get a bit monotone… This is his latest little masterpiece but don’t be afraid to pick up his epic oldies but goldies Utvandrarna (1971) and Nybyggarna (1972).
7. Fyra nyanser av brunt (Four Shades of Brown) [DVD]
From the director that gave us Let the Right One In (not the remake). 4 oddball stories that is all great but they have one weird flaw: one of them is too good so it makes the other stories feel less exiting – but that is just a luxury problem.
6. Flickan (The Girl) (DVD)
Beautiful and poetic movie about a girl left alone one summer in the 80’s. That’s it. No explosions to be found.
5. Ping-pongkingen (2008)
This movie manages to be deadly deadpan and epic at the same time. Don’t ask me how genius director Jens Jonsson manages that!
4. Körkarlen (The Phantom Carriage [DVD]
Considering that we Swedes love death we haven’t actually made a lot of movies about the Grim Reaper. Well, there is that overrated piece of shit movie Bergman did but then there is this; one of Bergman’s own favorite movies directed by that dude that was in Bergman’s boring as death movie Smultronstället (1957). A silent movie that scared the living shit out of me when I first saw it as a kid and it still does.
3. Sånger från andra våningen (Songs from the Second Floor) (DVD) (2000)
Bleak as a fog but funny as Hell. In my eyes it’s a lowbrow prequel to Planet of the Apes that takes place just before the end of the world.
2. Elvira Madigan [DVD]
Yeah, Bo Widerberg is another director that would take up too much space in a short Top 10 list so Elvira Madigan get the honor of representing his body of work. His Barnvagnen (1963) made the #59-spot in my Top 100 Rare Movies List but my favorites is this, Heja Roland! (1966), Mannen på taket (1976) and Kvarteret Korpen (1963). Check them all out, why don’t ya?
1. Den enfaldige mördaren (1982)
Alexander Skarsgård’s dad in a black as night version of Forrest Gump.
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Excellent. I now have a big fat checklist of things to check out. I just watched my first Bo Widerberg movie tonight- All Things Fair- and I’m looking forward to more. I also did Roy Andersson’s “You the Living” late last year and have been meaning to see “Songs from the Second Floor” ever since.
Great! “All Things Fair” (or “Lust Och Fägring Stor”, I had to check with imdb what movie you meant – it is weird to see the English titles for Swedish movies… hehe) is pretty damn good but far from his best so you are in for a treat when you check out Bo’s other work!
“Songs…” and “…Living” are almost equally great but I prefer “Songs”. Actually I prefer Roy Andersson’s short movies even more!