Film Festivals

What’s New Under the Sun

1 Apr , 2000  

Written by Peg Aloi | Posted by:

A review of the MFA's Scandinavian Film Festival

There is something about Scandinavian cinema that allows it to resonate sharply in the New England consciousness: the pervasiveness of rough weather and the constant human struggle with nature; the wavering attitudes towards sexuality, by turns puritanical or scandalously perverse; the age-old battle of religion, where strong pagan traditions crash against a sanitized, modern Christianity.

Boston, then, with its own pedigree of land conquering and religious intolerance, is an ideal setting for a festival of new Scandinavian cinema. Boston cinephiles have shown a passionate devotion to one of Scandinavia’s most controversial and artistically challenging contributions in recent years: the films of Denmark’s Dogma ’95 Collective. These include Thomas Vinterberg’s "The Celebration," Lars von Triers’ "The Idiots," and the soon-to-be-released "Mifune" by Soren Kragh-Jacobsen. Boston audiences have also sold out showings of von Triers’ "The Kingdom," made for Danish television, as well as a long run of "Breaking the Waves." However, Denmark is but one country out of five represented in this festival, which was organized by Lyall Bush of the Washington Commission for the Humanities. Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland also have solid contributions in a cultural cinema that has been catching fire in recent years.

The highlight of the festival is Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Film, Colin Nutley’s "Under the Sun" (Sweden) — as in "There’s nothing new…." Brilliant performances and breathtaking cinematography, not to mention a screenplay smoldering with sensuality and emotion, make this a stunning and memorable film. Rolf LassgÂrd plays Olof, a simple Swedish country farmer who yearns for female companionship. When he hires a beautiful young housekeeper on the run from her former life, his bucolic existence becomes exhilaratingly complicated.

LassgÂrd, an extraordinarily fine actor, also stars in "The Magnetist’s Fifth Winter," an unusual story of an early 19th-century Swedish village turned asunder when a notorious hypnotist/healer arrives. The mysterious Dr. Meisner (a charismatic Ole Lemmeke) cures the daughter of the town’s doctor (LassgÂrd) of hysterical blindness which she suffered as a result of a childhood trauma. Meisner’s unorthodox methods seduce the townspeople — especially the womenfolk — and before long he is suspected of fakery. It is written and directed by Denmark’s Morten Henriksen, a self-assured second feature based on a contemporary Swedish novel.

Also from Denmark comes the hip, quirky, energetic "Bye Bye Bluebird," written and directed by Katrin Ottarsdottir. Born in the Faeroe Islands, Ottarsdottir explores this unique landscape in her semi-autobiographical tale of two friends, Barba and Rannv, fashion models who left their tiny village behind years ago for a life of glamour, travel and big-city sophistication. The film’s color structure is rich and blatant: Barba and Rannv, in their outlandish clothes and makeup, are chic street urchins whose vintage baubles and tangerine hair dye stand out conspicuously amid the drab denizens of their hometown. But the heart-stopping beauty of the islands is a constant backdrop, a reminder that there may be something of value left in their origins, as the two young women, making jaws drop right and left, confront the secrets and regrets of their past.

One of the more impressive films in the festival, in terms of sheer visual magic, is "Glassblower’s Children," by Swedish director Andres Gronros. It is a phantasmagoric fairy tale, ostensibly a children’s story but with the darkness and subversion necessary to so many archetypal myths. Stellan Skarsgaard and Pernilla August star as parents whose children are whisked away to a strange castle by two wealthy surrogates who dress the children in fancy clothes, allow them to eat or sleep as they wish, but offer them no affection. The surreal, magical cinematography and wistful tone recall the wonderful, rarely seen Italian film "The Wanderer."

I saw two wonderful films from Norway in preview. The documentary "In the House of Angels" is a harrowing but extremely moving documentary about a home for the elderly, filmed by Margreth Olin. One major issue is the forced separation of elderly spouses into separate bedrooms. Nils Gaup’s "Misery Harbor" is a fictionalized biographical thriller which immortalizes writer Aksel Sandemose, who once said love and murder were the only subjects worth writing about. As a rebellious but hardworking young man, Espen escapes his drab factory town in Norway for Newfoundland, where he works at any job he can find, and encounters antagonistic, sadistic treatment from those who seduce him into trusting them.

From Iceland comes the artful "Witchcraft," by director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson, whose seldom-seen film "In the Shadow of the Raven," a gorgeous version of the Tristan and Isolde saga set in medieval pagan Iceland, was one of my favorite films of the ’80s. Utilizing the same rich mise en scene and dramatic storytelling, Gunnlaugsson explores the work of a 17th-century cleric who attempts to ferret out Satan’s influence in small villages, only to find his own struggle with inner demons nearly destroys him.

Because new Scandinavian cinema is so rarely seen in the United States, and is often unavailable on video, attending this festival is a rare treat and a way to show support for one of the most exciting movements in world cinema, which is slowly but surely growing in influence and, I hope, popularity.

The Scandinavian Film Festival runs at the Museum of Fine Arts from April 7-29. For information about tickets and show times, please call the box office at 617-369-3770, or visit the Web site at www.mfa.org.


The Scandinavian Film Festival runs at the Museum of Fine Arts from April 7-29. For information about tickets and show times, please call the box office at 617-369-3770, or visit the Web site at www.mfa.org.

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