The Guy in the Grave Next Door (2002)

Modern, urban librarian meets simple, traditional farmer and falls in love.

Director:

Kjell Sundvall

Writers:

Sara Heldt, Katarina Mazetti (novel)

Stars:

Elisabet Carlsson, Michael Nyqvist, Annika Olsson

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elisabet Carlsson	...	Desirée Wallin
Michael Nyqvist	...	Benny Söderström
Annika Olsson	...	Märta
Anna Azcárate	...	Lilian
Rolf Degerlund	...	Bengt-Göran
Anita Heikkilä	...	Violet
Axelle Axell	...	Desirée's Mother
Lasse Pettersson	...	Desirée's Father
Sara Arnia	...	Benny's Mother
Lotta Östlin Stenshäll	...	Anita
Michael Odhag	...	Torkel (as Mikael Odhag)
Margareta Gudmundson	...	Mrs. Lundmark
Patrik Lundström	...	The Ponytail
Hackim Jakobsson	...	The Moving Man (as Hakim Jakobsson)
Staffan Hammar	...	Örjan Wallin

Storyline

Desirée, a modern librarian with urban friends and interests is visiting her late husband's grave when she meets Benny, a simple farmer. After his mother's death Benny lives alone on the run-down farm, desperately seeking a woman to take care of him. In spite of their differences the two have the dream of finding that special someone in common, and fall passionately in love. Benny wants Desirée to move in with him and start a family as soon as possible. But being a farmer's wife is not something she is very enthusiastic about. Just presenting Benny as her boyfriend proves to be an embarrassing experience. And when she gets a tempting job offer in Stockholm she has to consider her priorities carefully.

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Plot Keywords:

northern europe | sweden | farmer | love | librarian | 

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Genres:

Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The cows' horns were glued on.

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Goofs

At the end of the film when Benny overtakes the hauling van with Desirée, he is doing it finally when driving to the very end of the bridge. After he stopped in front of the van, his car is just in the middle of the bridge.

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Connections

References Kurt Olssons television (1987)

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Soundtracks

När alla har gått hem
Composed by Peter Grundström
Lyrics by Camilla Andersson
Performed by Thor Görans

User Reviews

Simply put: Brilliant!

This little film is about the young farmer, who lives alone on his farm and seldom sees anyone, except the couple that on the other side of lake, if we don't count the ghost of his mother, who has been dead a while.She gives him advice in time of crisis, trying to make his life more bearable.

A chance meeting when visiting his parents' grave, he exchange a quick smile with a similarly lonely person, a young woman who is there visting her husband's grave. This woman is totally unlike him, very urban, very modern, having an intellectual job (librarian), with nil knowledge of the harsh life on a small farm, but their relation, when it at last developes into something - after many misses and misunder- standings - is very explosive, and at times troublesome, as their two totally different ways of life clash and interaction with their respective friends (simple farmers versus intellectuals of various sorts) is not that easy. Neither are their totally different goals in life very compatible - he wants a family and she says she will not commit herself at all!

Elisabet Carlsson, who plays the mondaine librarian, does so with such gusto and feeling, so much humour and cold logic that she mostly reminds me of Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich.

The farmer is well played by Michael Nyqvist, who I personally only remember from minor roles before this.I doff my hat - as good acting as Niclas Cage in his better moments.

It also, I think,shows that the two are long time friends, as the entire film is superb! Maybe the ending could have been different (it is different from the book it is based on, anyway), but a car chase, where a guy is racing to stop his great love disappear from his life, is always OK!

I have never lauded a Swedish film before, but I do it this time: Go and see it, or buy it on DVD - it has English subtitles already! A must to see, if there ever was one!

Details

Country:

Sweden Norway

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

2 August 2002 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

A szomszéd fiú a sírban

Filming Locations:

Luleå, Norrbottens län, Sweden

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$447,360

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmlance International AB, Filmpool Nord, Sonet Film AB

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1