Spring Uje spring

Had great expectations after the critics gone wild in Swedish media- but this was a bit disappointing. It is very political and it feels like the film makers are looks down at people. Not a good feeling.

This movie is amazing. It's a self biography by Uje who discoveres he has Parkinsons disease. It's not a movie in a theatrical sense, it's a movie about a real person and his story about finding out about his disease. If you're searching for a thrilling ending, this is not for you. If you want to see a real story about a real person who is still alive (and therefore not a depressing ending) this is for you. It's like a documentary in past tense.

The first 30 minutes are promising and I especially enjoyed a couple of the music scenes. But the second half loses tempo and the long dream sequence towards the end is just boring. Worst of all, the whole movie is littered with the kind of banal political statements you would expect from a 14 year old child.

Let's start by getting one thing out of the way; this is no 1/10 (however many films the critic claims to have seen). Film making is all about story telling - and Schyffert/Brandelius certainly do that.

They also venture into a, relatively, new format and at times push the envelope of filmmaking. However... bold and innovative as "Spring Uje, spring" may be - it reaches nowhere near excellence. It's low budget and makes no apologies for being so. But somehow it feels like it's a "dead end concept" - one where no amount of further funding would have delivered a home run.

The end result is quaint, at times slow and often borderline childish. But it is reasonable, and certainly innovative, storytelling. If you can get into the format - it delivers beyond your average Hollywood "standard".

For the cineast it delivers a few novel takes alongside a few more "don't dos". Commendable though the approach is; the shortcomings feel superior in number to the good moments. By all means watch, but it may be an acquired taste - and those with such acquisitions are likely find a few flaws.

If you're used to watch mindless Hollywood productions then this movie just isn't for you! It might confront you with some uncomfortable feelings and make you think a little. Sometimes it's refreshing to watch something a little more critical.

Political? Yes, it's political! Thank you! Few movies dare to take part in sensitive subjects and this production is not afraid of exposing them, in this case what most white swedes think but don't say openly about i.e minorities, and so on.