They Call Us Misfits (1968)

The first entry in a series of films about the lives of social misfits Kenneth 'Kenta' Gustafsson and Gustav 'Stoffe' Svensson.

Directors:

Stefan Jarl, Jan Lindqvist (as Jan Lindkvist)

Writers:

Stefan Jarl, Jan Lindqvist (as Jan Lindkvist)

Stars:

Kenneth 'Kenta' Gustafsson, Gustav 'Stoffe' Svensson, Stefan Jarl

Cast

Cast overview:
Kenneth 'Kenta' Gustafsson	...	Kenta
Gustav 'Stoffe' Svensson	...	Stoff
Stefan Jarl	...	Narrator
Pundar-Bosse	...	Self

Storyline

The first in Stefan Jarl's Mods Trilogy, the film documents the life of two teenagers, Kenta and Stoffe. With interviews from the two boys and their friends about their hedonistic lifestyle, and what their future holds, the film explores the highs and lows of mod life in 1960s Stockholm, Sweden.

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Plot Keywords:

teenager | sweden | 1960s | friendship | broken family | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Did You Know?

Trivia

First mainstream film to show unsimulated sexual intercourse onscreen.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinemania (2002)

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Soundtracks

Dom kallar oss mods
Performed by the Lea Riders Group

User Reviews

Sharp view of teenage alienation

I was 14 when this movie premiered, in the tumultuous year of 1968. It immediately impressed me as a very accurate portrayal of teens alienated by society's materialism, frustrated by the prospect of one day having to conform.

Stefan Jarl, a director of great integrity, follows two teens, Kenta and Stoffe, through their everyday life, which is Bohemian indeed. Nothing much happening, not much of a plot, more like a documentary - I guess that to a large extent it is. Still, it is fascinating. Jarl manages to capture their sentiments, their world view, and how it provokes society.

Although the 60's are long gone, my guess is that teens of any decade can relate to this movie. Those who have left their teen years far behind, should use this movie as a revisit. We should never dismiss the thoughts and feelings we had when young, or the world will quickly become a ruin.

Jarl made a follow-up movie, A Decent Life, eleven years later, returning to Kenta and Stoffe, and what their lives had become. Again in 1993, in The Social Contract.

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

25 March 1968 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

De kalder os mods

Filming Locations:

Fyran, Lästmakargatan 4, Stockholm, Sweden

Box Office

Budget:

SEK75,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1