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 | eastern europe | male objectification | 

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Taglines:

Every family has a secret.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

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 Grand
Composer: Matias La Cour
Performed by Matias La Cour

User Reviews

Simple plot but interesting heart filled execution

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.

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 and the Oaks

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