Scandinavian films: tips for the next film night

The Olsen Gang is a 14-part film series, most of which were made between 1968 and 1981 under the direction of Erik Balling.

The films all have a similar plot: a trio of Copenhagen gangsters, consisting of the leader Egon Olsen, Benny Frandsen and Kjeld Jensen, repeatedly try to pull off a big coup and get rich, but fail each time in spectacular and humorous fashion.

The thriller Nightwatch by Ole Bornedal revolves around the student Martin, who takes a job as a night watchman at the Copenhagen coroner’s office. During a series of serial murders, strange incidents also occur at the coroner’s office – and Martin, who is haunted by fears and paranoia, is caught in the middle.

Nightwatch became one of the most successful Danish films of all time and made Nikolaj Castor-Waldau a star in his home country.

Brothers is a moving war and family drama by Susanne Bier about the effects of war on the relationship between two brothers.

When soldier Michael is captured and presumed dead, his brother Jannik, the complete opposite of Michael, takes care of his family.

The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and received several international awards. in 2009, it was remade in the USA with Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman.

After the Wedding is a Danish film drama by Susanne Bier. The film is about Jacob, a man who has been running an orphanage in India for years. When he travels to Copenhagen to collect donations, he is invited by a potential donor to attend his daughter’s wedding – at which Jacob’s life will fundamentally change.

This emotionally gripping film starring Mads Mikkelsen won several international awards and was nominated for an Oscar for Best International Film.

The film drama The Hunt by director Thomas Vinterberg is about kindergarten teacher Lucas, played brilliantly by Mads Mikkelsen, who is falsely accused of abusing a child. Although Lucas is innocent, more and more people turn away from him, he is exposed to more and more mistrust and violence and his career, private life and reputation are destroyed.

The Hunt tells an intense story and has won numerous awards.

Since 2013, Danish bestselling author Jussi Adler-Olsen ‘s crime novels about Carl Mørck and his colleagues in Copenhagen Police’s Special Squad Q have been made into films. Over the course of the films, they investigate a series of unsolved cases, including kidnappings, murders and political intrigue, while also being confronted with personal problems.

The film series comprises four films so far: Mercy (2013), Desecration (2014), Redemption (2016) and Contempt (2018).

The drama Another round) with Mads Mikkelsen tells the story of 4 teacher friends who are dissatisfied with their lives. They therefore start an experiment in which they want to maintain a constant low alcohol level.

Without trivialising alcohol consumption, the film paints an intoxicating and empathetic picture of the main characters and the problems of their midlife crisis. In 2021, Another round was awarded the Oscar for Best International Film and was also nominated in the Best Director category.

When it comes to Swedish films, there is one director who should not be forgotten: Ingmar Bergman. His film dramas became known and awarded worldwide – in 1997 he was honoured as “Best Film Director of All Time” at the Cannes Film Festival.

The drama Persona is about the relationship between the nurse Alma and her suddenly silenced patient Elisabet, an actress.

The Millennium Trilogy films from 2009 are based on the crime novels of the same name by Stieg Larsson and comprise three films: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. The films tell the story of hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), who become entangled in a series of conspiracies, murders and corruption in Sweden.

The films, directed by Niels Arden Oplev and Daniel Alfredson, were among the most successful European films of 2009.

This comedy is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Jonas Jonasson and tells the story of centenarian Allan, who escapes from a retirement home and stumbles straight into a crazy adventure. At the same time, we learn about Allan’s past, in which he all too often turned world events upside down with coincidences and explosives.

the follow-up film The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared was released in 2016. However, it is no longer based on a book.

The film A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence by Roy Andersson is about two novelty salesmen, Sam and Jonathan, who travel through the Swedish countryside in search of customers and meet a wide variety of eccentric and bizarre characters on their journey.

The film was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Film at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival.

The tragicomedy A Man Called Ove is based on the novel of the same name by Frederik Backman and tells the story of curmudgeonly widower Ove, who makes sure that the rules in his housing estate are followed – but after losing his job, he no longer sees any point and tries to take his own life time and time again. This is prevented by his chaotic new neighbours, who quickly integrate Ove into their lives.

Becoming Astrid revolves around the life of the bestselling author Astrid Lindgren, perhaps the most famous children’s author in history. The film by Pernille Fischer Christensen is a free interpretation of the author’s moving life in her 20s and tells of her first steps in the world of books and publishing as well as her early pregnancy.

Astrid Lindgren is played by Alba August, who is known from the series The Rain, for example.

Midsommar is an American-Swedish horror film starring Florence Pugh. It is about Dani, who travels to a small community in Sweden with a group of friends to celebrate the traditional Midsommar festival. However, they realise that some of the community’s traditions and rituals have deadly consequences.

Unlike most horror films, Midsommar takes place almost exclusively in bright sunshine. The mix of cheerful, flower-adorned scenery and bloody horror create a fascinating dynamic for horror fans.

Elling is a Norwegian comedy film from 2001 and is based on a novel by Ingvar Ambjørnsen. It tells the story of two men who live in a flat after a stay in a psychiatric institution and have to get along with each other and find their way back into everyday society.

The film became a worldwide success and was nominated for an Oscar for Best International Film.

The film drama King of Devil’s Island is based on true events and is about the notorious prison island of Basøy, where juvenile offenders are interned. The main character Erling arrives on the island in 1915 and instigates a rebellion against the authorities surrounding the prison warden Håkon (played by Stellan Skarsgård) to protest against the inhumane conditions in prison.

Oslo, 31 August is a Norwegian film drama from 2011, focusing on a man named Anders who spends a day in Oslo after spending time in a drug rehabilitation facility.

The film by Joachim Trier deals with numerous difficult topics such as addiction, loneliness and depression and shows the complex structure of the human psyche.

The comedy Here is Harold by Gunnar Vikene is about Harold, who has run a successful furniture shop in Norway for 40 years. However, after IKEA opens a branch right next to his shop, the number of customers plummets as the residents now prefer to shop at the cheap furniture giant. Harald now comes up with a desperate and crazy plan – to kidnap Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, as revenge.

The romantic drama The Worst Person in the World tells the contemporary story of Julie, who spends her life aimlessly and is confronted with issues such as love and career, forcing her to ask herself the question: What do I really want?

The film is a sensitive portrait of people searching for their way in life in the modern world. It received many awards and was also nominated for the Oscars in 2022 in the categories “Best International Film” and “Best Original Screenplay”.

Troll is a fantasy film by director Roar Uthaug in which modern Norway, centred around palaeontologist Nora Tiedemann, is suddenly threatened by a relic of Norse mythology – after blasting work in the mountains, an ancient troll awakens who is now out for revenge on humans.

In an exciting way, the film shows the relationship between man and nature as well as past and modernity.

The Man Without a Past is an award-winning Finnish drama by director Aki Kaurismäki from 2002.

The film is about a man who is found without memory in Helsinki and begins a new life in a container settlement without a name or any possessions.

The horror comedy Rare Exports – A Christmas Tale by Jalmari Helander deals with the mythical figure of Santa Clause and focuses on the darker side of the myth.

There is no cosy Christmas atmosphere here, but the battle between Santa and his elves against humans is not lacking in action – plus, there is also plenty of humour.

The comedy Lapland Odyssey is about three listless friends who set off together to the land of Santa Clause to get a present for the protagonist Janne’s ex-girlfriend. On their journey through Lapland, they not only have to contend with the forces of nature, but also deal with all kinds of bizarre characters.

The road movie tells of the situation and problems of people in Lapland in a humorous way.

The comedy Rams by Grímur Hakonarson is about two brothers, Gummi and Kiddi, who raise sheep side by side in a picturesque valley in Iceland, but haven’t spoken to each other for 40 years. When an epidemic suddenly breaks out and the authorities plan to kill all the sheep in the region, the two brothers must suddenly work together to save their beloved and prize-winning sheep.

The film is a humorous portrayal of rural life in one of the most remote regions in the world.

Under the Tree is a black tragicomedy by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurđsson that revolves around a neighbourhood war. On the outskirts of Reykjavik, a dispute breaks out between two families over a tree, which escalates and leads to bizarre conflicts and situations.

The mystery horror film Lamb is about a childless couple who breed sheep. One day, one of the animals gives birth to a lamb that is half human. Astonished, the couple raise the lamb as their own child.

The film lives above all from its calm, atmospheric mood, which is underscored by dark Icelandic landscape shots. It also leaves us with an impressive ending that will keep you thinking for a long time.