Becker - Kungen av Tingsryd

I see this film has taken some bad reviews, but I genuinely disagree. I would guess that most of those who have rated this film are Swedish, and that this film did not measure up to some standard of expectation.

As an outsider living in Sweden, this film lands extremely close to the bizarre types of interactions and situations I've experienced. Nothing feels connected to anything, the rules are unspoken, off-center, and seemingly arbitrary.

There is a saying which has been offered to me on several separate occasions by different random people I've met; An American is like a peach, very soft and fuzzy and gooey on the outside, but stone-cold and hard at the core (friendly, but ultimately unmovable). A Swede is like a watermelon, very hard and thick on the outside, but once you get past that, it's soft, watery and gooey everywhere on the inside (difficult to know, but internally smooshy).

That feeling was captured in this film, far better than I've seen in other Swedish films. I imagine that a Swede would wholly disagree with my take, choosing not to allow a solitary mention of a perceived wobble in their collective self image. However, as one who was not raised within the Swedish culture I live in and with, the oddity of this film and its rhythm are both familiar and enjoyable.

Saw this one in the cheap DVD´s in my nearest supermarket. Costed less than one dollar (In swedish money)

The movie was good and had both good story and actors. There were funny exiting and even sad scenes in the movie.

One nitpick though. Its filmed in Tingsryd and has no scenes from the famous supermarket Börjes or the adventure water land. Just like make a movie in Ullared and forget to have the store in the movie.

In my opinion, this movie is a sublime example, of how to make an interesting movie, with probably a very small Hollywood budget. The comedy is underlying even though nothing funny is said. The badassness of the film is scaled down, so it fits with the community of Tingsryd, nevertheless it achieves alot om excitement with simple storytelling. I Love this movie, and I would recommend "Jätten" also , if you liked the style of this movie.