Weightless

Even a day by the lake on an idyllic summer’s day is little respite for young Felix from his melancholic life.  His overprotective mother chooses completely the wrong spot and the fact he is a wheelchair user disbars him from the short wooden pier and the welcoming waters of the lake.  He spots a pretty young girl and things begin to look up but when tragedy threatens to strike it is up to Felix to save the day.

Weightless is about that time in your life when you long to break free of the apron strings, when love comes calling for the first, breathless time and about achieving independence through your own actions, regardless of the cards you may have been dealt. I have been meaning to feature this charming short by Bobin Film for some time – and watching it again I have no clue why I haven’t – it’s just lovely. 

Eurovision Presenter Petra Mede Steals the 2013 Contest with Comedy Show Song – Swedish Smorgasbord

If you are not European then this video presents you with an opportunity to take a glimpse in to the rather silly heart of a continent… thanks to Swedish Smorgasbord, comedienne Petra Mede and of course the Eurovision Song Contest..

When Ireland astonished a slack-jawed Europe with Riverdance at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest it set the bar with its amazing but nevertheless somewhat po-faced interval act showing Irish history and folklore. Since then each host country has done its very best to promote itself through the medium of song and dance. It has become, if you like, something of a competition within a competition.

Gothenburg 1913: Get That Camera Out of My Face!

Almost a hundred years ago an unknown filmmaker took to the streets of Gothenburg and just filmed the streets – upsetting at least one gentleman in the process. The city, founded in 1621 is the second largest in Sweden and so even a century ago its population was hardly what you could call provincial.  The Barber's Shop in the Village, the first-ever Swedish film drama had been released to acclaim in 1897 and by 1905 most Swedish towns had their own cinema.

Yet even though, when this found footage was made, eight years later – this was still new technology.  Although many Swedes were regular cinema goers they were not regular witnesses to filmmaking, particularly in the middle of a busy street.  So, the way that many of the men in this footage react (found by Anton Withagen), staring straight at the camera and engaging its operator in conversation, is not surprising: this would have been a huge novelty for them.

Most seem quite happy to be filmed but there is a point at 00:58 where one middle-aged gentleman (picture above), clearly unimpressed with the intrusion, pulls his tongue at the camera (it might even be that he is baring his false teeth, I’m not quite sure) while several youths happily wave their hats at the camera behind him.  What leaves a lasting impression on me, however, about this found footage is its incredible quality: it is after all almost 100 years old.  That, and just how dapper the people of Gothenburg were in 1913.

The Girl and The Siren

A young girl lives, parentless, in a Swedish sea port. In order to survive she works in a tavern run by a vicious one-armed brute. Yet, surrounded as she is by a life full of drudge and casual cruelty the girl retains her imagination – not to mention ambition.  Unsurprisingly, given her upbringing, she wants nothing more than to be a pirate and join the sea-faring rogues on their adventures. Yet who will take a young girl seriously? 

One evening, however, a seagull comes crashing through her bedroom window and a chain of events is set in motion – one which will change her life forever.

If you are a fan of stop motion animation then you will love The Girl and the Siren, directed and animated by Jacob Petersson and Cristoffer Ålund with production credits going to Jakob Arevärn.  Don’t be put off by the length – seventeen minutes is long for an animated short but this is one which will, if you are like me, bring you in to the story right from the beginning.  Please, too, don’t be put off by the subtitles you see in the first minute – they lay the scene and the vast bulk of the action is wordless.

What did I particularly like about The Girl and the Siren? Pretty much everything, but the overall design stands out – meticulous and evoking a whole old but new world in its attention to detail.  It is also very difficult to invest puppets with emotion but it is so well done here, a small tilt of the head and an entire range of emotions is conveyed. Go make a coffee (or beverage of your choice), get yourself comfortable and just enjoy this beautifully crafted adventure.

Memorize

It is the near future. The population have been implanted with chips which record their every move. Law enforcement officers can then see exactly what happened at the scene of a crime. One particularly grisly murder needs to be solved and our masked and silent protagonist tracks down the suspects one by one.

Memorize, written and directed by Eric Ramberg and Jimmy Eriksson is seriously cool. I wasn’t sure about it to begin with – it seemed to be so full of science fiction tropes that the territory upon which it treads was in danger of being just a little too familiar.

Yet that is one of its strengths – we are all fully conversant in its imagery and, considering its brevity, that means we know exactly where we are from the beginning. We can just settle in and enjoy the action – and as that constitutes 90% of the plot I’m happy.

Plus, it’s a gadget feature! The weapons effects are truly well done, particularly if you take in to account the fact that this short movie has (I suspect) a budget that doesn’t go anywhere near 5 figures. While many science fiction shorts go for the ethereal and fx-lite option, Memorize is packed with action and extremely well realised effects. Hats off to Ramburg and Eriksson.

Other shorts that are, like Memorize, shoot 'em up or chase 'em down movies sometimes fall in to the trap of focusing on the shooting and chasing with little regard to visual backstory, both in terms of realistic future technology and setting.  Memorize obviously has had a lot of thought go in to both.  

If you would like to learn more about this short movie and how it was made, then visit Ramberg and Eriksson's production blog - I particularly like the weapons and tech concepts they have on it.

Close Encounters of the Swedish Kind

Image Credit Flickr User Arvidr

There doesn’t seem to be any sign of Klaatu, the ET or even a solitary Vulcan looking to make first contact. Yet this wood near the town of Harads in Sweden is home to something strange and out of this world. Have aliens finally landed? Perhaps it’s a reconnaissance party from the planet we humans have just discovered - Gliese 581g?

Image Courtesy of Flickr User Stumptuous

Nope. On closer inspection, the more down to earth nature of this mysterious saucer shaped object is revealed. Are those wires? Is that a stepladder? Both are needed, in fact, as this is not a visitor from another world but a hotel - or part of one.

Image Credit Flickr User Neliw Attig

Image Credit Treehotel

The saucer is a new addition to Treehotel, the award winning alternative to four walls and a window. Unlike those who have (at least in fiction) managed to hitch a ride on a space ship, this one will be a little heavy on your wallet – you and a friend can stay there for about $US650 a night.

Image Credit Flickr User Neliw Attig

Image Credit Flickr User Neliw Attig

At least you get a hearty Swedish breakfast thrown in for good measure. If this was the real thing the most you could probably expect would be a probe in every orifice and an uncomfortable implant!