Falkenberg Farewell

This memorable, visually unique, and sometimes very emotional story of a group of young friends whose lives implode after their schooling ends ranked among the top 3 films of the 15 or so I saw at the Toronto Film Festival. Unfortunately, the combination of $20 ticket prices and a 1 (out of 5) rating given this film by the major Toronto free weekly paper resulted in relatively few audience members taking a chance on the work of a first-time director. Moreover, I will say that this is not a film for everyone, and that there were a fair number of walk-outs at the screening I saw.

All that said, I think those who appreciate films that approach storytelling from a truly cinematic perspective -- that is, where the shots, the editing, the sound design, and the music tell the story as much as the action and dialogue do -- will find a lot to love here. As others have noted, this film did share some aesthetic elements with the last few (excellent) features by Gus van Sant (Elephant, Gerry, and Last Days), but it mixes this feeling with some of the contagious warmth, humor, and genuine emotional impact of Lucas Moodysson's Together (2000).

I think that whoever gave this film that (fatal) 1-star rating in Toronto must have popped in a screener tape, seen a lot of out-of-work young people goofing around and cracking some coarse jokes, and then tuned out at about the ten minute mark, writing this one off as yet another debut filmmaker mining the "slacker" genre for low-grade yux -- admittedly an unappealing prospect. But there's so much more at work here, and those who stay engaged in the film will be rewarded with unconventional but emotionally honest (and first-rate!) storytelling.

Internationally known as "Falkenberg Farewell" this film deals with a number of friends that get together for a last time during the summer that bridges their lives between playful old children and young responsible adults. Still having nothing to do but hang about and do whatever they feel like they have one last breath of total freedom before the harness of the daily rut takes them and binds them.

Starting with a short description of the main characters the film rolls slowly but steadily. When it is clear what everyone does and where everyone is going to it starts telling its actual story and it must be said: that is done a little messy. It looks like it tries to go in all directions at once and ends up staying right in the middle because of it. While it is clear about the message it wants to give off, it is far less clear about the way it revolves around the characters.

I wasn't really impressed with this film. Partly because I saw it during a film festival where it was surrounded by much better films, partly because it was so messy that it was hard to get into.

6 out of 10 summers ending

This is the story of five guys who live in Falkenberg, a Swedish sea-town, and know each other since they were little kids. Saying farewell to Falkenberg means to get rid of the childish habits that fill up their boring days and to start living and acting as adults. Falkenberg is most of all the environment (with his rivers, woods and the sea) and the style of this young director reminds the last Gus Van Sant's one, in particular for the shooting of the nature and for the way the character speaks with their gestures. A special mention as to go to the photographer, who succeed in the great effort of finding a realistic portrait of the characters in symbiosis with the environment.

I saw recently saw this at the 2007 Palm Springs International film Festival and I can't believe that this is Sweden's official submission to the 79th Academy Awards to be considered for best foreign film. Producer Anna Anthony last year also had Sweden's official submission for best foreign film with Zozo. I wasn't personally a fan of Zozo but at least it had some production value to it. This could have been shot as a high school film project. As a short film it may have worked but as a feature film it is as lost as it's characters. This is a story about five twenty something friends who live in a small Swedish town and have no goals or hopes or ambitions for the future and like to live in the past of their long gone childhood. Actually Falkenberg isn't like some remote northern Swedish village. It's a popular summer resort with a population of city and townships of almost 40,000 and lies between two major southern coastal Swedish cities of Götborg and Malmo. The characters are likable enough guys but if they were high school age kids with a bleak or confused attitude about what they plan to do with their lives I would undoubtedly care about them more. They are however long past the point where they should be making plans to deal with adulthood. If they want to stay in Falkenberg forever than certainly there must be some jobs in the tourist or fishing industry instead of just riding bicycles, drinking, smoking pot and occasionally painting a house. Maybe if they hung around with a girl or two in their circle of friends, of which girls are absent from this film altogether which doesn't make sense. Jesper Ganslandt makes his directorial debut and co wrote the film along with the cinematographer, of which I use the term loosely, Fredrik Wenzel. the acting isn't too bad. I would give this a 4.5 out of 10 but despite it's submission for consideration for the Academy Awards I would not recommend it.

As is said in another comment you can not be told whether you will like this film or not. You need to have something in your past or present that helps you enter this group and understand or feel the things that are left unspoken... and that is much. But if you have that, this film is rewarding, tragic, beautiful and painful. Very good!

The minimal form of the film is perfect for the on the surface minimal story. But as any minimal art the content is there, but you will need to do at least half of the work of finding it. I enjoy that kind of film, and since I am able to relate to the story a great deal, this film was perfect for me!