Om Gud vill (2006)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Directors:

Amir Chamdin
Erik Eger

Writers:

Amir Chamdin (writer)
Erik Eger (writer)

Release Date:

10 February 2006 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Immigrant Juan meets Finnish tango singer Juli in the summer of 1975 in Stockholm, and romance blooms.

Plot Keywords:

Immigrant | Male Female Relationship | Love | Music | 1970s

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Nina Persson	...	Juli
Amir Chamdin	...	Juan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Viktor Åkerblom-Nilsson	...	Bachelor #1
Julia Alenius	...	Dagny
Emil Almén	...	Bachelor #3
Björn Andersson	...	Drunk man in subway
Patrik Bartosch	...	The Monoliths: Accordion, Organ
Hassan Brijany	...	Giuseppe
Janne 'Loffe' Carlsson	...	David
Maurits Carlsson	...	Himself - The Monoliths: Drums
Cecilia Häll	...	Pregnant woman
Claes Hartelius	...	Director, Housing Office Authority
Anders Balsam Hellström	...	Drunk man
Jan Holmberg	...	Doctor (scenes deleted)
Kalle Josephson	...	Lennart
Alexander Karim	...	Mohammed
Meliz Karlge di Grado	...	Nadja (as Meliz Karlge)
Nathan Larson	...	The Monoliths band member: Guitar
Sunil Munshi	...	Jean-Claude
Tito Pencheff	...	Tito
Johan Rodin	...	Father-to-be
Georgi Staykov	...	Joro
Per Sunding	...	Himself - The Monoliths: Bass
Christoffer Svensson	...	Bachelor #2
Michael Wahlberg	...	Bachelor #4

Also Known As:

God Willing (International: English title)
Om Gud vill ...blir fantasin till verklighet (Sweden) (long title)

Runtime:

Sweden:87 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

English | Swedish

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Sweden:7 | Finland:K-3

Filming Locations:

Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Chamdin, Stöhr & She

Trivia:

Nothing modern was allowed on the set, no Steadicams, no tiny microphones. The camera used was analogue with 1975 Panavision lenses from England.

Quotes:

Juli: I was with some friends in the woods, laughing and having a good time, when a big wasp flew in through my nose in to my head. It made this horrible sound. I tried to get it out. Then suddenly I was like a little kid and my friends had disappeared, and my mother showed up. And she took this scissor and somehow got it out of my ear. But when she took it out, it had changed into a burnt out cigarette.

Soundtrack:

Aatini el-Naya

Hot summer in Stockholm.

Daring, original and beautifully shot film about dreams, love and loneliness. Cool and relaxed tone. Minimalist. Plot is low-key. One is left more with a feeling of inspiration rather than a conclusive story. I believe this was intended, to let the audience muse a bit while watching the film, and to leave us more thoughtful than happy, yet charmed.

Long moments of silence and the dreamy sequences reflect the would-be-lovers' states of mind, as they are confused and falling in love. It's an efficient expression in the film.

Both the main characters seem vulnerable, and while the leading male role is somewhat gawky in a Chaplin or Roberto Benigni sort of way, there's definitely some Pacino going on as well. It's an interesting combination. Oddly enough, it works.

Cardigans-Nina Persson manages her debut as an actress playing the role of a Finnish tango-singer beautifully. She's a goddess, like Greta Garbo with a hint of Liv Ullman's warm glow. Her singing performance in the film is stunning, and The White Stripes' cover is quite awesome.

Final verdict: A for effort, B for grade.