I caught this at a screening on April 14, 2005 at the Pacific Design Center, sponsored by the Swedish Consulate. I really enjoyed this film. (The English title is "Double Shift," which IMDb has not yet listed.)
It's a feel-good comedy of the type that Hollywood seems to have forgotten how to make. The humor is not forced, but rather comes out of the characters and the situations in which they find themselves. I really like the relationship between all of the characters, particularly the one between the main character and the biker. The evolution of that relationship is very satisfying and well done.
I understand that the film has charted in Sweden, doing alright against the big Hollywood blockbusters that are popular there. It would be great if "Som man baddar" (Double Shift) could get distribution in the United States. This movie reminds me of the 1980s when as a teenager I could catch all sorts of interesting foreign films that gave me a window onto how other folks around the world lived. If this were the 80's you could definitely count on seeing "Som man baddar" in at least art-house theaters in American cities. Of course, foreign film distribution in the United States has really dried up in the last 20 years (ironically, as the number of movie screens in the U.S. has increased three-fold). But I really hope this film gets a break, and Americans get the opportunity to discover it.
This is director Maria Essen's first feature, and it is a very solid and assured debut. She handles the humor with just the right touch, and she obviously loves the characters. She is definitely someone to watch.
I'm not the type of person who routinely gives a film 10 stars just because I like it. I certainly believe in degrees of goodness and badness. But I thoroughly enjoyed this comedy in a way I haven't in a long time. And I felt so good leaving the theater. I was truly entertained. If you hear of this film playing anywhere near you, do yourself a favor and go out and see it.
