I had high hopes for this movie, since I have always liked Tomas von Brömssen. I was not really disappointed, but the mood through the entire movie was very gloomy and depressing. I'm currently studying to become a teacher, like Torsten, and... well, I guess I had hoped the character would be someone to look up to. But the movie was dirty, depressing and didn't give me anything. My rating was 5.
4 Reviews
One of the best films of the decade!
koop-218 July 1999
The film opens with Torsten, who is a teacher, reading a poem by Swedish poet Stagnelius (a man whom with he shares the same longing.) to his class. [...]
Torsten is a 42-year-old virgin. He is in love with Vivianne who works at the cash desk in the local food shop. Torsten has sent anonymous love letters to her. Vivianne is a single parent and her son goes in Torsten?s class. Torsten is going to have a talk with Vivianne about Morgan at the school in the evening. He has planned what he will say and that he will ask her out. But things go wrong and the night and the following day is going to be crucial for Torsten, but his life is not the only one who will change.
Torsten is not only described as a romantic man who because of shyness never found a woman. He is also driven by carnal lust. He is tired of teaching uninterested kids and he drinks to much.
Vivianne is also tired of her job and wants a new start. She has lost contact with her son, who is in a difficult age and probably is depressed.
Berit, who works with Vivianne, lives together with Glenn. She also take care of her old handicapped mom. Something the local police officer and asshole Glenn isn't happy about at all. On top of that she suspects that he's unfaithful.
Tomas von Brömssen, who always is great, makes the character portrait of Torsten to one of his finest ever. Persbrandt is perfect in his role and so is newcomers Anna Wallander and Ia Langhammer.
What a magnificent mood this film has! The pictures look so great. And, most importantly, is just right for the film. Internationally acclaimed cinematographer Ian Wilson has made dazzling images. The lighting contributes to the mood and so do the production design and the peculiar music.
Debut screenwriter Håkan Lindhé has really written a different story. In the hands of Leif Magnusson who made Den gråtande ministern and Kvinnan i det låsta rummet. Two mini series who is something of the best made in the that format. Now he has created another masterpiece.
Torsten is a 42-year-old virgin. He is in love with Vivianne who works at the cash desk in the local food shop. Torsten has sent anonymous love letters to her. Vivianne is a single parent and her son goes in Torsten?s class. Torsten is going to have a talk with Vivianne about Morgan at the school in the evening. He has planned what he will say and that he will ask her out. But things go wrong and the night and the following day is going to be crucial for Torsten, but his life is not the only one who will change.
Torsten is not only described as a romantic man who because of shyness never found a woman. He is also driven by carnal lust. He is tired of teaching uninterested kids and he drinks to much.
Vivianne is also tired of her job and wants a new start. She has lost contact with her son, who is in a difficult age and probably is depressed.
Berit, who works with Vivianne, lives together with Glenn. She also take care of her old handicapped mom. Something the local police officer and asshole Glenn isn't happy about at all. On top of that she suspects that he's unfaithful.
Tomas von Brömssen, who always is great, makes the character portrait of Torsten to one of his finest ever. Persbrandt is perfect in his role and so is newcomers Anna Wallander and Ia Langhammer.
What a magnificent mood this film has! The pictures look so great. And, most importantly, is just right for the film. Internationally acclaimed cinematographer Ian Wilson has made dazzling images. The lighting contributes to the mood and so do the production design and the peculiar music.
Debut screenwriter Håkan Lindhé has really written a different story. In the hands of Leif Magnusson who made Den gråtande ministern and Kvinnan i det låsta rummet. Two mini series who is something of the best made in the that format. Now he has created another masterpiece.
One of the best films of the decade!
koop-227 July 1999
The film opens with Torsten, who is a teacher, reading a poem by Swedish poet Stagnelius (a man whom with he shares the same longing.) to his class. He asks if someone can tell what it is about. A kid answers "Maybe it is two who are ... fu**ing?" The class laughs. Torsten thinks about it for a short moment and then says: "Yes, it's a matter of fact you could say that."
Torsten is a 42-year-old virgin. He is in love with Vivianne who work at the cash desk in the local food shop. Torsten has sent anonymous love letters to her. Vivianne is a single parent and her son goes in Torsten's class. Torsten is going to have a talk with Vivianne about Morgan in the school in the evening. He has planned what he will say and that he will ask her out. But things go wrong and the night and the following day is going to be crucial for Torsten, but his life is not the only one who will change.
Torsten is not only described as a romantic man who because of shyness never found a woman. He is also driven by carnal lust. He is tired of teaching uninterested kids and he drinks too much.
Vivianne is also tired of her job and wants a new start. She has lost contact with her son, who is in a difficult age and probably is depressed.
Berit, who works with Vivianne, lives together with Glenn. She's also take care of her old handicapped mom. Something the local police officer and asshole Glenn isn't happy about at all. On top of that she suspects that he's unfaithful.
Tomas von Brömssen, who always is great, makes the character portrait of Torsten to one of his finest ever. Persbrandt is perfect in his role and so is newcomers Anna Wallander and Ia Langhammer.
What a magnificent mood this film has! The pictures looks so great. And, most importantly, is just right for the film. Internationally acclaimed cinematographer Ian Wilson has made dazzling images. The lighting contributes to the mood and so do the production design and peculiar music.
Debut screenwriter Håkan Lindhé has really written a different story. In the hands of Leif Magnusson who made Den gråtande ministern and Kvinnan i det låsta rummet. Two mini series who is something of the best made in that format. Now he has created another masterpiece.
Torsten is a 42-year-old virgin. He is in love with Vivianne who work at the cash desk in the local food shop. Torsten has sent anonymous love letters to her. Vivianne is a single parent and her son goes in Torsten's class. Torsten is going to have a talk with Vivianne about Morgan in the school in the evening. He has planned what he will say and that he will ask her out. But things go wrong and the night and the following day is going to be crucial for Torsten, but his life is not the only one who will change.
Torsten is not only described as a romantic man who because of shyness never found a woman. He is also driven by carnal lust. He is tired of teaching uninterested kids and he drinks too much.
Vivianne is also tired of her job and wants a new start. She has lost contact with her son, who is in a difficult age and probably is depressed.
Berit, who works with Vivianne, lives together with Glenn. She's also take care of her old handicapped mom. Something the local police officer and asshole Glenn isn't happy about at all. On top of that she suspects that he's unfaithful.
Tomas von Brömssen, who always is great, makes the character portrait of Torsten to one of his finest ever. Persbrandt is perfect in his role and so is newcomers Anna Wallander and Ia Langhammer.
What a magnificent mood this film has! The pictures looks so great. And, most importantly, is just right for the film. Internationally acclaimed cinematographer Ian Wilson has made dazzling images. The lighting contributes to the mood and so do the production design and peculiar music.
Debut screenwriter Håkan Lindhé has really written a different story. In the hands of Leif Magnusson who made Den gråtande ministern and Kvinnan i det låsta rummet. Two mini series who is something of the best made in that format. Now he has created another masterpiece.
One of the best Swedish films ever
Rammstein-22 January 2001
Warning: Spoilers
(Major spoiler included)
The sheer genius of this movie is overwhelming, the performances of the cast is beyond any criticism, and the range of emotions that this film so accurately convey are absolutely fascinating. With simple means and an eye for the life in small Swedish towns, this film outshines pretty much everything made by giants like Widerberg and Nutley. Torsten, a Swedish teacher with a passion for poetry and for a certain Viviann, is in his 40s still a virgin. To add to his confusion, he is inordinately shy and pretty much a coward, writing anonymous but beautiful love letters to the woman of his dreams. Meanwhile, Viviann (who is completely oblivious of Torsten's feelings), dates Glenn, the local police officer, who is in turn married to Viviann's co-worker Berit. When Viviann is raped, Torsten gets blamed after having stumbled drunk though town, shouting her name like a maniac.
What makes this movie so great is the very ending, which I'm going to describe here, so if you don't want to know anything about it, please stop reading now.
After all the misery that Torsten experiences (he is fired, gets beaten up by kids lead by Viviann's son, and his home is vandalized), it is a great relief to see him finally getting to score with Berit, who in a fit of rage after finding out her husband has raped Viviann burns down the house and leaves. She walks by Torsten's vandalized house, and enters. Torsten lies on his bed, feverish and suicidal. He is very cod after having fallen into the water, so she starts to massage him - which wakes his slumbering lust. The sheer brilliance of Brömssens acting when confronted for the first time with Berit's enormous bosom is enough to lift this film from the black and into the blue. His enchanted, overwhelming gasping at the sight and touch of Berit's breasts is just fantastic, making you forget all the misery and darkness of the movie.
My girlfriend and I walked out of the theater with great, wide smiles on our faces. Something dark and tragic shifted into something hopeful and absolutely beautiful. "So soft! So soft!" My goodness, it is amazing!
The sheer genius of this movie is overwhelming, the performances of the cast is beyond any criticism, and the range of emotions that this film so accurately convey are absolutely fascinating. With simple means and an eye for the life in small Swedish towns, this film outshines pretty much everything made by giants like Widerberg and Nutley. Torsten, a Swedish teacher with a passion for poetry and for a certain Viviann, is in his 40s still a virgin. To add to his confusion, he is inordinately shy and pretty much a coward, writing anonymous but beautiful love letters to the woman of his dreams. Meanwhile, Viviann (who is completely oblivious of Torsten's feelings), dates Glenn, the local police officer, who is in turn married to Viviann's co-worker Berit. When Viviann is raped, Torsten gets blamed after having stumbled drunk though town, shouting her name like a maniac.
What makes this movie so great is the very ending, which I'm going to describe here, so if you don't want to know anything about it, please stop reading now.
After all the misery that Torsten experiences (he is fired, gets beaten up by kids lead by Viviann's son, and his home is vandalized), it is a great relief to see him finally getting to score with Berit, who in a fit of rage after finding out her husband has raped Viviann burns down the house and leaves. She walks by Torsten's vandalized house, and enters. Torsten lies on his bed, feverish and suicidal. He is very cod after having fallen into the water, so she starts to massage him - which wakes his slumbering lust. The sheer brilliance of Brömssens acting when confronted for the first time with Berit's enormous bosom is enough to lift this film from the black and into the blue. His enchanted, overwhelming gasping at the sight and touch of Berit's breasts is just fantastic, making you forget all the misery and darkness of the movie.
My girlfriend and I walked out of the theater with great, wide smiles on our faces. Something dark and tragic shifted into something hopeful and absolutely beautiful. "So soft! So soft!" My goodness, it is amazing!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
