A Swedish Love Story

A Swedish film about the relationship between two teenagers. Pär is fifteen, Annika fourteen. They meet in a hospital garden and look at each other. It takes a long time before they talk; the first words are few and most of it passes in looks. The relationship goes simply: a motorbike, the lakeside, groups of friends and the hour to be home in the evening. The second line is the adults. Parents, uncles and neighbours are not content with their lives. One has left his job, one drinks, one is always counting money. A family dinner scene gathers that side and shows it, and the film goes a long way from the cheerfulness of the young there. What the narrative does is set two worlds side by side: what the young build without needing to say anything, and what the adults tear down by talking. It is Roy Andersson's first feature. The film drew wide attention in Sweden. He moved to a completely different style in his later work; the films known for their fixed camera and grotesque tableaux came after this. Rolf Sohlman, Ann-Sofie Kylin and Bertil Norström are in the cast. A fitting choice for anyone who likes Scandinavian cinema and films about the young. For a viewer looking for plot, the film dwells on ordinary moments and tells no story.