Four Shades of Brown (2004)

This is one of the two best recent Swedish films I've seen, and not surprisingly it's Tomas Alfredson which is the director. It's a funny film to watch, but there's a serious undertone here. The film is made by a group of Swedish comedians which are called "Killinggänget", and many of them are at least well know over most of Scandinavia. Some of them occurs in several roles in the four stories. Some might be offended by the humor which is about very serious matters and even about very touchy subjects, making it even more funny in my opinion."Four shades of brown" tells four stories with the three hours the film last, and they are all somewhat connected in the title. In all four of the stories which are taking place in four opposite sides of this rather geographically large country, we see different relations between parents and kids, and the problems with these family relations, and the result of this.The synopsis of the four stories are, in short, all leading to disasters:1. A crematory-worker wants to show his line of work to his misguided and troubled son, because he feels forced to do so, something which he should never have done.2. A magician couple comes to visit their son, which tries to step out of his own class after buying a up-class beach hotel. They are bringing a third wheel on the wagon, a Danish free spirited man, picked up by the wife, because she is sick and tired of her boring husband. It leads to disaster.3. A free spirited horse trainer, which was abused as child, has become a worshiper of Buddha, and has never cared much for his three sons, dies, and cheats them from heritage. 4. A therapy group gathers several times and are being sincere about their problems, which include relations and dealing with the truth.These four stories are in way from everyday Sweden, and they are all good enough to be film by themselves. They are all taken out on the edge, but with a darker meaning behind it all. The film poster are simply the Swedish flag painted in four shades of brown around the yellow cross. I am not the one to reveal what it's all about, but the title might refer to the Swedish plague of neo-Nazism and right extremism which has risen for the last decades. Is this film trying to give an input into that discussion? Are the fathers all ruining their kids?A demanding film in many ways. Long, four stories which has a connection and difficult matters. The film resembles the brilliant "In order of disappearance", which is equally dark and funny, and also have a serious comment lying behind the story. Equally recommended, and a tad easier to watch as pure entertainment with it's single story and two running hours.

I didn't know what to expect from this hugely popular (and hilarious) Swedish comedy & satire team, as they released their first feature film. More broad satire? Well, we do get four contemporary, exceptionally memorable tales of family pains, generation gaps and fatherhood, in particular. But it's drama, thankfully, and what drama! Epic in its scope, as each episode is from carefully picked, geographically different parts of Sweden. But each story could seriously carry a whole movie, if expanded separately.It's dark, twisted, harrowing, yet massively entertaining and breathtakingly executed. Script, acting and cinematography are absolute world class, as three hours seem to get by in a blink! It's four shades of mastery, and easily one of the best films in the nations' cinema history. It's Sweden's answer to "Short cuts" or "Magnolia", if you like, and instantly on par with those!9 out of 10 from Ozjeppe

A Swedish friend of mine sent me a DVD of this earlier this year; it has yet to arrive in Britain in any form and it seems to be impossible to order the DVD over the web. In the absence of circulating copies, I have simply been boring anyone who will listen about this amazing film. 'Four Shades of Brown' was funded by Swedish state TV, and written, performed and directed by the Killinggagets group who are well known in Sweden as a comedy troupe. The film is a collection of stories about contemporary Swedish life: the family of a dead horse trainer gather to mourn his passing, an elderly couple on tour with their magic act visit their uptight son in his coastal hotel and pick up an admirer en route, a man tries to connect with his teenage son by showing him the work he does at the pet crematorium, and a weekly 'cookery class' has turned into an encounter group where lost souls discuss their troubled lives. A couple of the strands interconnect: and some people have drawn comparisons with 'Magnolia', but frankly this film is far more original. It manages to be incredibly funny, yet in the end it addresses some very serious issues head-on. This is the most controversial aspect of the film, and on paper it might seem tasteless and impossible to bring off, but it works brilliantly and that on its own is an incredible achievement. This film is quite unique and easily the most astonishing drama to have emerged from a major TV network since the original BBC version of Dennis Potter's 'The Singing Detective' in 1986 (although in some ways it also reminds me of the dark, dark satire of British comedian Chris Morris). It's brave and wonderful and a shining example of what an enlightened state broadcasting system can achieve: Sveriges TV puts the 21st Century BBC to shame.I visited Stockholm last month and bought several copies of the DVD for friends: but it would be so much easier if some enterprising company gave the DVD a UK release soon. I live in hope.

Never, ever, have I been as impressed by a film as this little piece about four groups of people, that faces a crisis, or many. In some ways a little like Short Cuts, but totally different, at the same time.There are a heap of lead characters, whom we all learn to know very well as their stories unfold, and they are, as persons show their good and their bad sides, their weaknesses and their strengths, with lots of drama and laughter.The closest equivalent in a US movie, I can think of, which then is far weaker in every respect, is the Royal Tenenbaums. Four Shades of Brown, as the title would be in English, tells the story about a stressed out hotelier and his wife, and his elderly parents (who are traveling magicians); about the receptionist at an animal crematory and his family misadventures; about the members of a cooking course (who mostly talk about their sorry lives) and fourthly about the funeral for a womanizing trotter jockey, who tries to continue orchestrating the family from beyond the grave, by singing and appearing in 3D during the funeral, thanks to high tech equipment that has cost his entire fortune (the family gets nil, not even the famous horse is given to the family)!There is a warmth and compassion in this film, that is filled with grief and laughter, that I've never experienced before.Most actors were new to me, except Robert Gustafsson and one or two more, but they all deserve the big slam the film took at the Swedish Guldbagge extravaganza (= the Swedish "Oscar" Awards) a week ago!Male, female and male supporting actor prizes went to this film, plus a few more, to boot!If you have the chance, go and see it - the hours float by very quickly!