Simon & the Oaks (2011)

Two boys come of age in Sweden during World War II.

Director:

Lisa Ohlin

Writers:

Marnie Blok (script writer), Marianne Fredriksson (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Bill Skarsgård, Helen Sjöholm, Jan Josef Liefers

4 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Skarsgård	...	Simon
Helen Sjöholm	...	Karin
Jan Josef Liefers	...	Ruben
Stefan Gödicke	...	Erik
Karl Linnertorp	...	Isak
Jonatan S. Wächter	...	Young Simon
Karl Martin Eriksson	...	Young Isak
Erica Löfgren	...	Klara
Katharina Schüttler	...	Iza
Josefin Neldén	...	Mona
Lena Nylén	...	Olga
Cecilia Nilsson	...	Inga
Jan-Erik Emretsson	...	Neighbour Klas
Pär Brundin	...	Neighbour Åke
Frederik Nilsson	...	Teacher

Storyline

Epic story about two families and their friendship and common destiny in Sweden's Gothenburg in the 1940s and 1950s. Told from the perspective of young Simon Larsson, who learns that he's an adopted child who has a Jewish father from Germany. After WWII Simon travels to explore his roots - a journey that leads to the basic mysteries of the human life. After the bestselling novel by Marianne Fredriksson.

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Plot Keywords:

male nudity | male rear nudity | bare chested male | sweden | friendship | 

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Taglines:

Every family has a secret.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Sweden Denmark Germany Norway

Language:

Swedish German Hebrew English

Release Date:

9 December 2011 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Simon i hrastovi

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,964, 14 October 2012

Gross USA:

$150,664

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,505,573

Company Credits

Production Co:

Götafilm, Asta Film, Schmidtz Katze Filmkollektiv

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jan Josef Liefers could not speak a word swedish. He learned to speak the Sound of the lines.

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Goofs

When they visit the Berlin Jewish cemetery at the end, there is a headstone for someone who was murdered in a concentration camp. But there are no such headstones, as concentration camp victims' bodies were burned and disposed of in the camps, they weren't brought back to cemeteries for burial. I must disagree. There are numerous headstones in Jewish cemeteries in Germany that list the names and dates of people having died in concentration camps. Thus a stone like the one depicted in the film, may well have existed.

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Soundtracks

The Jewish Violinconcerto
Composed by Annette Focks
Performed by Max Wulfson - solo violine
Andre Peter - violin
Peter Bock - viola
Sebastian Selke- cello
Jorg Frohlich - double bass
Recorded and mixed by Jens Reule Dantas
MUSIC RECORDING STUDIO BERLIN Ufo Sound Studios

User Reviews

Like An Oak, The Film Is Strong

I saw this at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival where the film's director Lisa Ohlin was on hand at my screening for an audience Q&A following the film. Adapted for the screen by Marnie Blok from the popular novel by Marianne Fredriksson, it is the story of Simon Larsson,(played as a boy by Jonatan S. Wächter and as a young man by Bill Skarsgård) who is being raised by an aunt and uncle (Helen Sjöholm as Karin Larsson and Stefan Gödicke as Erik Larsson) who he thinks are his real parents. It takes place in Sweden and begins in 1939 at the outbreak of WWII in Europe. Young Simon goes off to a prestigious school where he befriends Isak Lentov (played as a boy by Karl Martin Eriksson and as a young man by Karl Linnertorp). Isak is Jewish and antisemitism has spilled over into Sweden so he is somewhat of an outcast at school except for his new friend Simon. Simon is from a rural working class background and Isak is the city bred son of a wealthy bookseller and their lives are woven together through WWII and beyond in this tender drama as Simon confronts family and society in a search for who he is. An excellent performance as the loving mother by the popular Swedish singer Sjöholm who is making her first screen role since 2004's "As It Is In Heaven" in which she gave another great performance in a supporting role. I don't know what took her so long to return to the screen but she should have been making more movies. Gödicke is very good too as the tough love father. Excellent production and art design by Anders Engelbrecht and Lena Selander. The film is also looks good thanks to cinematographer Dan Lausten and costumer Katja Watkins. Annette Focks scores some beautiful music and Jason Luke give the film great sound. A great supporting cast with many interesting characters. I would give this an 9.0 out of 10 and recommend it.