Sweden 2 : Slices of Life – BSFF 2023

Seen from abroad Sweden is the incarnation of many virtues. Tolerance, comprehension, consensus, ecological consciousness, it is seen as the ultimate in a progressive land. However, far from the collective fantasies and postcard clichés, this program opens a window on Swedish society and questions its mores, its contradictions, and uncovers the issues that are woven through it : slices of Swedish life to give us a different way  of seeing our northern neighbor.

In collaboration with the Swedish Film Institute.

The Night Train

Jerry Carlsson, 2021, 15′

On the night train, looks are exchanged and in the eyes of Oskar and Ahmad a shared desire blossoms.

Northern Great Mountain

Amanda Kernell, 2015, 15′

78-year-old Elle does not like Sami people though her first language was Sami and she grew up in the mountains in Lapland. Now she claims that she is completely Swedish and from the south. Under pressure from her son, she reluctantly returns north for her sister’s funeral.

Animals I Killed Last Summer

Gustav Danielsson, 2012, 15′

A young boy kills small animals and his father can’t deal with it.

Autobiographical Scene Number 6882

Ruben Östlund, 2005, 9′

In Smögen, on the west coast of Sweden, a 30-year-old man makes his friends come and watch him jump into the sea from a high bridge.

Who Talks

Elin Övergaard, 2019, 15′

The new refugee home for children is being discussed at a public council meeting. Two people standing on opposite sides try to get heard.

The Traffic Separation Device

Johan Palmgren, 2018, 14′

A traffic separating device is installed in the middle of Stockholm. It is supposed to keep cars away and let only buses pass. It turns into a disaster as cars continue to go there and hundreds of them get destroyed. Tragic and funny situations occur over thirty days of filmin