If you are interested in Swedish cinema beyond Stieg Larsson adaptations, Beck and god damn Kurt Wallander, Turku is not the best place in the world for being up to date with recent releases. That's why I was lucky to find Flickan at the local alternative DVD rental shop (the only one that is not part of a big chain). Most reviewers praised the cinematography of this movie. That's understandable. It is very, very pretty, but also, perhaps, a tad bit conventional (zooming in a flower against a blurry backdrop to create a dramatic, melancholy effect). Overall, it's a strong film. It revolves around a nine year old girl, whose parents have travelled to Africa. Her aunt comes to look after her, but the girl gets tired of her partying and carelessness and finds a way to get rid of her. For the rest of the film, we see the girl alone, with her older, sex-obsessed friends and with a boy her own age. Fredrik Edfeldt is successful in his attempt to describe a kid's world. There are many scenes that are a bit hard to watch because they rub our faces into the embarrassing, physical or the cruel. I don't mean to say this is a film that exploits those feelings, rather, there is stuff here that rings true in a way that is hard to fend off. In several scenes, the girl meets her older friend's father. The man always tells her to sing and dance for him. She is embarrassed and humiliated but does it anyway. When she meets him in a mall, she automatically starts performing her little number. The man cruelly interrupts her, telling her people might find her nuts.
No, Edfeldt does not create an idealized picture of childhood. He presents children as beings no less complex than adults are. This is a real strenght.
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