New Nordic Cinema
February 6 through April 26, 2013
Wednesdays @ 7 pm & Fridays @ 6:30 pm
$10 ($7 ASF Members)
Scandinavia House brings some of the most influential Nordic films to New York audiences this spring with films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
SWEDEN
The Importance of Tying Your Own Shoes/Hur mnga lingon finns det i vrlden?
April 3 & 5
Directed by Lena Koppel (Sweden, 2011). Alex (Sverrir Gudnason) is an inveterate loafer with dreams of being on the stage, who takes no responsibility for himself or those closest to him, and his life is anything but under control.
When his girlfriend Lisa (Cecilia Forss) eventually gets fed up and leaves him, Alex is forced to look for a job in order to survive. All of a sudden, he finds himself working as an assistant to a troop of mentally handicapped people at a group living facility with inflexible routines, endless courses in how to tie your shoelaces, and, above all, lots of very bored individuals.
Following a disastrous start with muddled schedules, angry reprimands from his boss, and an emergency visit from the fire department, Alex gradually starts to tune in to the warm and charming individuals around him. Beneath their handicaps and medication, they are bursting with energy, full of dreams and fun-loving spirit, and unexpected talent.
Alex and his new friends face an uphill battle as they struggle to overcome preconceived notions, angry and anxious families, and a prejudiced environment in order to achieve their goal to take part in the national hit TV show The Talent Hunt. This feisty bunch has tied their last shoelace!
The Importance of Tying Your Own Shoes is a moving and uplifting comedy with plenty of heart and soul, loosely-based on the real-life story of Glada Hudik Theatre and their productions that were a hit both in Sweden and abroad. The cast is drawn from members of the Glada Hudik Theatre.
101 min.
About the director
Lena Koppel (b. 1955, Oskarshamn, Sweden) grew up in Toronto and studied directing at Focal in Berlin and Zrich, and scriptwriting at the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her first feature film True Moments/Sanna gonblick (1998) was a critical success and nominated for Best Actress at the Swedish Guldbagge awards. True Moments was followed by Bombay Dreams in 2004 and a comedy about female rally racing drivers, Rallygirls/Rallybrudar in 2008. Koppel also co-writes all of her feature films.
The Crown Jewels/Kronjuvelerna
April 10 & 12
Directed by Ella Lemhagen (Denmark & Sweden, 2011). Two families from opposite sides of the tracks have a profound effect on each other in this imaginatively shot murder mystery. Fragancia (Alicia Vikander), a small-town beauty of Spanish descent, sets the plot in motion when she plans to take revenge on besotted neighbor Richard (Bill Skarsgrd), who she blames for the death of her younger brother. The son of a shoe manufacturer, Richard grew up rich, while Fragancia, the daughter of a warehouse worker, grew up poor, yet the two families become intricately enmeshed over many years. Fragancia falls for hockey virtuoso Pettersson-Jonsson (Bjrn Gustafsson), which makes Richard jealous. After Pettersson-Jonsson takes off in search of NHL glory, Fragancia's world falls apart.
Director Lemhagen weaves plenty of terrible and miraculous plot twists for the two families in this engrossing melodrama. Throughout, there are mysterious keys, secret hiding places, and gloriously gothic atmosphere to spare.
120 min.
About the director
Ella Lemhagen (b. 1965, Sweden) studied film history at Stockholm University and then continued her studies in directing at the Swedish National Film School. Her feature film debut The Prince of Dreams/Drmprinsen filmen om Em (1996) was highly praised and earned her a nomination for Best Director at the Swedish Guldbagge awards. The third feature she directed, Tsatsiki, Mum and the Policeman/Tsatsiki, morsan och polisen (1999), was a hit also internationally and the film received several awards. Patrik, Ages 1.5/Patrik, Age 1,5 (2008), a film Lemhagen both wrote and directed, was a critical and commercial success in Sweden and also abroad.
Special thanks to the Danish Film Institute, the Finnish Film Foundation, the Icelandic Film Centre, the Norwegian Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute, and NordicStories.
