Directed by:
Rojda SekersözScreenplay:
Jonas GardellCinematography:
Erik Molberg HansenComposer:
Jean-Paul WallCast:
Jakob Eklund, Johan Rheborg, Fredrik Hallgren, Arvin Kananian, Anna Bjelkerud, Ulla Skoog, Cilla Thorell, Maria Sid, Leif Edlund Johansson, Gizem Erdogan (more)Plots(1)
Few films examine the heartbreak of early adolescence with the nuance of Rojda Sekersöz's powerful My Life as a Comedian, adapted by writer Jonas Gardell from his own bestseller, a kind of Swedish Catcher in the Rye. The film is told in flashback by comedian Juha Lindstrom, widely trumpeted as a defender of the downtrodden, reflecting on his youth. The subject of his latest sold-out show is growing up in 1970s Sweden, when it was lauded as an ideal state, and ABBA and Borg were on top. But for class clown Juha — resented for his attention grabbing and his Finnish ancestry — life sure doesn't feel perfect. He only escapes bullying because others are considered weirder: Thomas, the geeky German kid whose father is absent and who is being raised by his awkward, desperate-to-fit-in mother; and Jenny Li, who was adopted by the family across the street. They are also his best friends — just not at school, where Juha barely acknowledges them. The class bullies aren't very bright but they're geniuses at cruelty, and they devise inventive ways of twisting the knife. They soon realize they can turn Juha and Thomas against one another, with disastrous results. The pain of this period torments the adult Lindstrom and his reputation as a courageous protector of the oppressed only exacerbates things. (Toronto International Film Festival)
(more)Cast
Jakob Eklund
Sweden
Best movies:
Like It Never Was Before (1995)
Daybreak (2003)
Out of Bounds (2011)
Johan Rheborg
Sweden
Best movies:
Fredrik Hallgren
Sweden
Best movies:
Off Track (2022)
Thank You, I'm Sorry (2023)
Arvin Kananian
Sweden
Best movies:
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
A Hustler's Diary (2017)
One Day All This Will Be Yours (2023)
Anna Bjelkerud
Sweden
Best movies:
My Future Love (2016)
Raspberry Boat Refugee (2014)
Hotell (2013)
Ulla Skoog
Sweden
Best movies:
The Last Sentence (2012)
Cilla Thorell
Sweden
Best movies:
The Reunion (2013)
Beck (1997) (series)
Maria Sid
Finland
Best movies:
The Year of the Wolf (2007)
Off Track (2022)
Flicker (2012)
Leif Edlund Johansson
Sweden
Best movies:
Raspberry Boat Refugee (2014)
Involuntary (2008)
Hotell (2013)
Gizem Erdogan
Sweden
Best movies:
Underdog (2014)
A Part of Me (2014) (series)
Klara Zimmergren
Best movies:
Jag kommer hem igen till jul (2019)
Iman Mirbioki
Iran
Best movies:
The Square (2017)
Stockholm (2018)
The Year I Started Masturbating (2022)
Loke Hellberg
Sweden
Claudio Salgado
Chile
Best movies:
Tic Tac (1997)
To Love Someone (2007)
Pär Brundin
Sweden
Best movies:
Simon & the Oaks (2011)
The Last Sentence (2012)