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Pure (2010)

A stunning performance by young actress Alicia Vikander and intelligent direction (and strong writing) from Lisa Langseth makes this Swedish film a must see.

When 20 year old Katarina finds an escape from her troubled life in a symphony hall, life turns completely around. And she almost keeps up with the change. But her naivite and powerlessness get in her way, as more powerful or misdirected people in the symphony read her signals the wrong way.

That simple set up is all Vikander needs to make her character writhe and shine and fall into despair on screen. It's psychologically tough, beautifully filmed, paced with a sense of importance. I really liked this all around. The story does in ways fall into a familiar power dynamic between older man and younger woman, and so there is by the end something missing there. But other aspects compensate, and Vikander makes small details revelations throughout.

Music can change your life.

Everyone has experienced this at one time or other and this is the heart of Pure.

In this edgy immensely engaging drama a working-class girl with a borderline personality finds her life's passion in classical music.

The story is not what you could call enticing however the film is a triumph. Next to more prestigious and lauded films, such as Black Swan and Fish Tank, Pure is hands down the easy winner in terms of acting, directing and all round film-making. Alicia Vikander is now breaking out internationally as an actress in Anna Karenina and Royal Affair but once you see this film it is no surprise, she is heart-breaking and awesome in this.

I actually applauded in the screening I saw, this was during the film because of a plot twist and reflected the quality of the film and the brilliance of the script.

Catch this underrated gem as soon as you get the chance. Ken Loach should be worried, there's a new kid on the block and her name is Lisa Langseth.

Awful film - not one star only, because of some good acting and some good cinematography! Artsy-fartsy story about classical music and poetry as well as (the film-makers want us to think) love. A conductor has an affair with a 31-year-old younger receptionist, and they actually want us to think that it's romantic and beautiful. When he talks about music, art or literature, it's nothing less than ridiculous. I'm a musician myself, and if I ever worked with a conductor, speaking such nonsense, I made sure that either he or I quit the job. I don't know towards what kind of audience this picture is directed, but it certainly won't satisfy people who know anything about art or classical music, and is very unlikely to convince viewers who don't - unless they pretend that they do. I'm afraid, there's plenty of those, since the film was quite a success.

Things like music, poetry, philosophy etc are essential details of this film, but otherwise have nothing to do with its theme.

That theme is the corruption of innocence. Which puts it in company with other films like "The Go Between", "Rosetta", "Mouchette" or "Lord of the Flies", but "Pure" is realistic rather than romantic. The director, Lisa Langseth, probably has much in common with Anthony Trollope, who was once described as "compared to Trollope, even Balzac is a romantic".

The entire film depends on the performance of Alicia Vikander as Katarina, and that performance is flawless, first as a young girl of passion, through her disillusionment, and, at the very last scene, to her "graduation".

And special mention should be made of Per-Eric Winberg's music soundtrack, both his own compositions and those he selected from other composers are first class.

Well, the script might raise some questions at some points but this doesn't really matter. The intensity, the power and credibility of Alicia Vikanders' performance in this movie blows away the story lines. The sober direction of the movie underlines her performance. One of the best performances I've seen in the last years.

The script is touching many subjects such as poverty, coming-to-age and gender issues, without digging deep in any of them. It is the acting which gives the depth of the emotion to this movie. When she is asked to dance in front of the conductor in a most humiliating way, the scene is so painful that the buildup to the climax feels almost logical emotionally. This is not about ethics, but during the movie, you get dragged into the wild emotions of Katarina. And this is to me the essence of the movie: a young wild women fighting her way through a very troubled life. I don't think the director intends to ask our approval or even sympathy, but wants us to take a journey on the emotional roller-coaster of Katarina, so brilliantly performed by Alicia Vikander. Simply breathtaking.