beij Review of Sebbe

Sebbe (2010)

An authentic story of growing up in Sweden for one struggling teenager and much more

[28 March 2013]

A simple tale of the teenage boy, Sebbe, living his life in every aspect of dysfunction. Severely bullied at school and often abused by his mother in a drunken state, he never struck back. His emotions were seen suppressed and only occasionally released upon the dumped goods at a local junk yard, which he either hoarded or vandalized. Amongst all the neglect and suffering, Babak Najafi the director managed to afford us a few glimpse into Sebbe's happiness – A bedroom so well-lit by his handy installation of clusters of light bulbs stands in stark contrast to the state of mental darkness he was in. Unlike most Scandinavian productions that tend to explore big issues of underlying social tension, injustice etc. Sebbe is more about the discovery of self and the interpretation of behaviors and morals. At times one may have to negotiate between the story being focused on a boy with resilience or a coward who could never stand up for himself. Without giving away a major part of the plot, I for one was left to question whether we as humans are programmed to seek affection from those that give us life at all cost, even to the detriment of one's self-identity. Running away with the explosives he'd stolen from a nearby yard – a sign of remorse as he seemingly changed his mind about blowing up the school – only then to find out from his mother that she no longer wanted to look after him. Sebbe had to choose, as the film arrives at an open ending.