Ondskan (2003)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Mikael Håfström

Writers:

Jan Guillou (novel)
Hans Gunnarsson (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

26 September 2003 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It's time to take a stand.

Plot:

Erik is expelled from school for fighting. He ends up at a private boarding school where the senior students control the young ones...

Plot Keywords:

Boarding School | Domestic Violence | Nazi Teacher | Broken Arm | Humiliation

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Andreas Wilson	...	Erik Ponti
Henrik Lundström	...	Pierre Tanguy
Gustaf Skarsgård	...	Otto Silverhielm
Linda Zilliacus	...	Marja
Jesper Salén	...	Dahlén
Filip Berg	...	Johan
Fredrik af Trampe	...	von Schenken
Richard Danielsson	...	Karlberg
Martin Svane	...	Leffler
Rustan Blomqvist	...	Bergvall
Peter Eggers	...	Von Rosen
Per Westergren	...	Lewenheusen
Henrik Linnros	...	Beijer
Theodor Hoffsten	...	Lagerros
Sanna Mari Patjas	...	Stina (as Sannamari Patjas)
Johan Rabaeus	...	Erik's Stepfather
Marie Richardson	...	Erik's Mother
Magnus Roosmann	...	Tosse Berg
Ulf Friberg	...	Tranströmer
Mats Bergman	...	Melander
Lennart Hjulström	...	Headmaster Lindblad
Kjell Bergqvist	...	Ekengren
Björn Granath	...	Headmaster
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ruben Flam	...	Classmate
Danny Saucedo	...	Bully
Ludde von Brömsen	...	Gang Member
Petter Darin	...	Von Seth (uncredited)
Christian Rinmad	...	Dinkelspiel (uncredited)

Directed by
Mikael Håfström

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jan Guillou		novel
Hans Gunnarsson		writer
Mikael Håfström		writer
Klas Östergren		uncredited

Produced by
Malte Forsell	....	line producer
Per Holst	....	co-producer
Ingemar Leijonborg	....	producer
Hans Lönnerheden	....	producer
H.P. Lundh	....	co-producer
Kim Magnusson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Francis Shaw

Cinematography by
Peter Mokrosinski

Film Editing by
Darek Hodor

Casting by
Maggie Widstrand

Production Design by
Anna Asp

Makeup Department
Karin Fahlén	....	makeup artist
Göran Lundström	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Frida Asp	....	production manager
Katarina Wiklund	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Daniel Kong	....	assistant director
Jonas Overton	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Nalle Hansen	....	sound
Anders Hörling	....	sound
Camilla Mauritzson	....	sound editor
Dan Widegren	....	boom operator
Mark Kenna	....	consultant: Dolby film sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Gusten Blick	....	special effects
Johan Harnesk	....	physical effects
Johan Harnesk	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Fredrik Nord	....	digital effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Björn Becker	....	best boy
Kobie Kentkuran	....	crane grip
Peter Kjellberg	....	best boy
Misio Mokrosinski	....	second assistant camera
Knut K. Pedersen	....	Steadicam operator (as Knut Pedersen)
Nils Wallin	....	electrician (as Nisse Vallin)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Camilla Carlström	....	costumer
Lotta Garcia	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Pia Svedlund	....	negative cutter
Frederick Wibe	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Mikael Carlsson	....	executive soundtrack producer
Peter Juul Kristensen	....	score mixer
Francis Shaw	....	conductor
Francis Shaw	....	orchestrator
Andy Sundstrøm	....	recording engineer

Other crew
Carin Anzelius	....	assistant location manager
Kerim Guner	....	production assistant
Lena Hansson	....	film consultant: Swedish Film Institute (as Lena Hansson-Varhegyi)
Marie Holhammar	....	unit publicist
Julia Lönnerheden	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Moviola Film och Television AB
• Nordisk Film/TV
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)

Distributors

• Bir Film (2004) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films AB (2003) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Eurocine Films (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Gemini Film (2005) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Gemini Kinomir (2005) (Russia) (theatrical)
• MFA Filmdistribution (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Magnolia Pictures (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• One Plus One (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Nordisk Film Distributors (2003) (Finland) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Minerva Pictures (Italy)
• Mokep Rt (Hungary)
• Nordisk Film (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Prorom Media-Trade (2004) (Romania) (all media)
• Shani Films (Israel)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)
• VideoFilmes (2004) (Brazil) (DVD) (VHS)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Panorama film & teatereffekter

Other Companies

• MovieScore Media  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Evil (Canada: English title) (festival title) (International: English title)
Ondskab (Denmark)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence/gore, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

Sweden | Denmark

Language:

Swedish | Finnish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Iceland:12 | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | Australia:MA | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Filmhusateljéerna, Filmhuset, Svenska Filminstitutet, Gärdet, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Moviola Film och Television AB

Trivia:

The movie is based on a novel by Jan Guillou. Jan Guillou attended a boarding school himself when he was a teenager and the novel is partly based on his own experiences.

Goofs:

Continuity: It is sometime after Christmas when Erik is trying to see the Finnish girl for the last time but there are yellow and falling leaves visible behind him.

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Cinematic and psychological study of adolescent cruelty

I wonder, as I write this, why a film like Ondskan hasn't received commercial distribution in the States. Perhaps distributors assume Americans are too removed from the world of mid-century upper class boy's boarding schools in Sweden to relate to the film, which is our loss. Ondskan presents a microcosm of cruelty, status, and one-upsmanship - one might say evil - that exists in such an institution. Every year we read another horror story of a hazing gone too far. Children trounce their playmates. There's plenty of physical aggression among boys. The latest discussion concerns what among girls is called relational aggression, in which an individual is harmed through the hurtful manipulation of peer relationships and/or their friendships. .Neal LaBute has taken the idea of sadistic relationships to the American workplace in 'In the Company of Men' and to the suburbs in 'Your Friends and Neighbors'. There have certainly been other films tackling this particularly subject of sadism in boarding schools, Young Torless (Der Junge Törless) in 1966, comes especially to mind. What is captivating about Ondskan ('Evil') is both cinematic and psychological. The world of this o-so reputable boys school is painted in earth tones and fine wood with muted light rendering its cold emotions. The set design by Anna Asp (who's has done some other great looking films) lets us feel as though we have lived in this space. The lead character, Erik Ponti, at first we think will be the embodiment of the 'evil' of the title. He is regularly and systematically strapped by his stepfather. He transfers that frustration to his own classmates, which is what gets him sent to the boarding school in question. There he is ritually brutalized by the upperclassmen, which is, we are led to understand, the expected behavior in this hierarchy. To the administration and faculty this is apparently part of school tradition. Eric's initial unwillingness to fight back, despite a similar unwillingness to bend to arbitrary, sadistic, and unwritten rules, is relentlessly frustrating. As an audience we really want him to act. But his honor, his fortitude, and the fact his mother has hocked some heirlooms to pay tuition, keep him from lashing back. We are thus submitted to the same unremitting abuses with no real payoff. I will refrain from revealing the end, but it is not when or what you might expect. The result is a great ride and an elating experience. The audiences at Harvard, where I saw the film, applauded afterward. It's not a perfect film. There are clichés and expected set-ups. Still the mushy adolescence of the actors cast in these parts is consistently smart. The music is tasteful and well used. The direction is subtle and the violence is felt more than seen, but when it happens it is as ugly as it deserves to be.