Dalecarlians (2004)

Maria Blom's 'Masjävlar' shows a slice of life at a small Swedish town. The dysfunctional family theme as presented here isn't anything new and the film does tend to border on clichés at times but there's a sincerity with which Blom tells her story. For example, all the scenes of Mia finding herself a stranger in her own home town while at the same time making judgements about others and as it would turn out, no one is who she thought them to be, are narrated very well. Anyone who has returned to their hometown after a very long time will be able to relate to those scenes.The subtle performance by lead actress Sofia Helin is also very effective and brings out the depth of Mia making her struggle more convincing. Kajsa Ernst and Ann Petren are equally wonderful as the two older sisters who couldn't be any more different. The rest of the cast do a fine job bringing in some humour.The execution is quite ordinary but the pleasant snowy Swedish landscape is refreshing to look at. The soundtrack is used smoothely. The birthday party track especially stands out as it's filmed beautifully and so many things happen in that scene, both on the surface and within the characters (portrayed very well by the actors).'Masjävlar' may not be one of its kind and even though it tells a familiar story that has been witnessed various times on screen, there is a freshness about the way its treated and told.

I saw this at the Mill Valley Film Festival. Hard to believe this is Ms. Blom's directorial debut, it is beautifully paced and performed. Large cast of characters could be out of an Anne Tyler novel, i.e. they are layered with back story and potential futures, there are no false notes, surprising bursts of humor amidst self-inflicted anxiety and very real if not earth-shattering dilemmas. If you saw "The Best of Youth," you will recognize how well drawn the characters are through small moments, even as the story moves briskly along. I really hope this gets distribution in the USA. I live in a fairly sophisticated film market, yet we rarely get Swedish films of any kind.

Just saw this movie today at the Seattle International Film Festival, and enjoyed it thoroughly.Great writing and direction, excellent and believable interaction among the cast, and great comic timing as well.This movie touches on themes that are universal-family and separation. As a result, I can see European, Asian, and American audiences all finding points of similarity between this film and their own lives.If all that wasn't enough, this has the potential to be the best underground date movie of the year...somebody distribute this in the USA, please!Finally: thank you Maria Flom! It really is a great film.

** HERE BE SPOILERS ** Recap: Mia (Helin) is returning home from capital Stockholm to rural Rättvik to celebrate her fathers 70th birthday. She is by far the youngest child, and has two sisters Eivor (Ernst) and Gunilla (Petrén). Eivor has a family and still lives in Rättvik and Gunilla has divorced and moved a town away. Mia is still single and is focused on her career. There are a lot of jealousy and almost animosity between the sisters and conflicts arise all around as they confront each other and each have personal problems they have difficult to handle. As the party goes on (and alcohol consumed), more and more secrets become unveiled and more and more conflicts arise...Comments: To be the work of a new writer/director it was disappointing to see this movie to follow in the exact same tracks that older Swedish comedy/dramas has been following for years. There are really no new elements or ideas. This movie draws upon three basic areas. 1) Embarrassing humor only based on characters making a fool of themselves. 2) Sorrow and 3) Anxiety. This move has the focus on the last one, almost forgetting the first point as the movie goes along. No loss though, since the humor that is there is not funny. The performances from the cast are good I guess, though it is lost behind all the anguish and soon forgotten. I had hopes that there would be new ideas and influences, but there were none. To conclude, there are better ways to spend one's time than watching this.3/10