Simon och ekarna

it is the film who makes me consider Bill Skarsgard a great actor. the motif - off course -its performance. but, in same measure, the atmosphere, the dialogues, the science to use details, the feeling to discover a family album, with old pictures, familiar and , in same measure, strange. a war film and the map of the world of a young man. sensitive, vulnerable, strong, brave, viewer and judge, Simon is a guide for the steps from an universe to the other. a guide who seems be reflection of yourself. and this fact does the film a kind of scent. not the story itself but the state of characters, like a large ball remains after the final credits. a film to see. for discover an old way to see the near reality.

a film about family. values, secrets, members' links, fight for survive, fears, miracles. a film about the levels of life for a boy. and, sure, about oaks. impressive in that case is not only the high performances or the atmosphere, the story or the testimony of the lead character about his universe but the splendid strange feeling. it seems be one of stories who are parts of viewer life. in a special manner. Bill Skarsgard as Simon is brilliant but its art has a great frame. the landscapes, the flavor of the old world behind the war, the nuances of acting from his partners. a film like a web of emotions. a good source of reflection. about the life and about its truth. and about the price of each human age.

Simon och ekarna – Simon & the Oaks – CATCH IT (A-) Swedish movie about two families, their friendship and common destiny in Sweden's Gothenburg in the 1940s and 1950s during World War II. The movie is told from young Simon Larsson perspective, who learns that he's an adopted child who has a Jewish father from Germany. The story in the backdrop of World War II in Sweden is really simple but what makes this interesting is the heart hitting performance by all the actors. It's just so uplifting to see how a poor father found the son he always wanted in the rich father's son and the rich father found the son he ever wanted at this poor family. Even though I loved the movie, I have to admit that the movie is much more fascinated when the kids were young. When they grow up, the relationship becomes more complicated and some of the things I didn't like e.g Simon disrespecting his mother. Though Simon was shown self centered from childhood but his leaving his mother behind led to her heart break and ultimate consequences. The performances by young Simon Jonatan S. Wächter and young Isak Karl Martin Eriksson are tremendous. Bill Skarsgård as adult Simon is great, and how he turned in to the obnoxious ungrateful person is interesting. Helen Sjöholm as Simon's mother and Isak's caretaker is such superb. I loved her portrayal. Stefan Gödicke as father of a poor family and Jan Josef Liefers Karl Linnertorp as father of the rich family are good. Overall, with stunning performance and cinematography the movie is a treat to watch.

Two boys meet at school in Gothenburg 1939. They become friends. One is a Jew and one is supposed not to be. One is upper middle class and one comes from a working class background.

Quite much is foreseeable here, but the greatest problem is the acting. Not that it's disastrous or even bad during the circumstances, but there are plenty of anachronisms here. From the laboring father, who is something out of the 60s, more than 1939. To the boys, who have a way of staring into the camera, which is common-piece in every Swedish movie, which tries to portrait harsh times. Especially if it's the 40s. "Something is going on inside that boy". The problem is that we know exactly what, when he has those eyes.

That is disturbing and takes quality out of this film.

A movie with great ideals and intentions, spanning themes like tolerance and equality.

However, for all its intentions, it's weakly executed. It moves slowly and doesn't really retain your attention. It's as if the director thought the idealism and themes would be enough to carry the movie, without working on the story.