Gitarrmongot (2004)

Ruben Östlund caused quite a stir with his film De ofrivilliga a few years ago. His earlier, lesser known Gitarrmongot might not be as well-developed (from a mainstream-audience point of view), but a very interesting viewing experience is guaranteed nonetheless. Östlund works in a no-frills, mocumentary style. He has a good nose for things we are prone to shy away from, the awkward, embarrassing moments that we'd rather forget about. In bravely exploring forms of psychological violence, group dynamics and multifarious versions of revolt against a repressed society (in which Lars Berghagen is a saint), Östlund really becomes relevant and transgresses the average "bury-your-shame-in-pillow" kind of one-trick pony. At his best, Östlund doesn't leave the viewer with a momentaneous tingle, "ew, embarrassing!", he gets to grips with the dark heart of social morality - and our own part of it.

Gitarrmongot does not have a plot. Like Roy Andersson's later films, Östlund works with short scenes, the relation between which we are to figure out for ourselves. There is the boy who plays guitar on the street and with his older friend; the woman who causes much anguish by touching a girl's hair in the back of a bus; a gang of boys entertain themselves with breaking stuff; a pair of chaps make sleazy jackass-styled videos.

Östlund's film may take an interest in themes which have been popularized by the Falkenberg-gang. But there is a difference in mood, and perhaps in politics, too. Östlund is a crass observer and dark comedian. He does not point his finger at anything. Perhaps most importantly; he sees the potential in things and phenomena that might otherwise just appear to be stupid or embarrassing - like the little boy with his guitar that bugs the shit out of most people. I would describe Gitarrmongot as a film that, in several ways, studies social activity as expressive of energy (does this mean that he is uninterested in a moral point of view? No.). The most striking example of this is, perhaps, a scene in the very beginning of the film, in which a young man drills a group of youngsters to chant "Sieg heil!" as fast as possible. 

For all its seemingly low-budget techniques, Östlund's film is often surprising in how it pays attention to things like camera angles & framing of shots - and sound. One of the things that really stood out in the film is how Östlund allows the sounds in the film to appear in several layers; sometimes we hear a jarring sound, and at other times I really have to pay attention in order to make out the words through the hazy soundscape. In most movies, all sounds are on the same level, resulting in a dull flatness. Östlund makes his images, even when they appear monotonous, come to life.