Oldenbur

When I saw this film, knowing it was an hour and a half, I looked at my watch once. However, it was not to see if it would soon be over. On the contrary, I looked at my watch to make sure that not too much time had passed, because I didn't want the film to end. It was very long ago that a Swedish film got me hooked like this one.

Sure, the main actors are 15 years old, so the acting isn't perfect. Sure, you wonder how the teachers can be so blind to the hierarchy between the sexes and become upset when the pattern begins to crack. But I really felt for these girls and their different struggles to be heard and seen. Sadly, it mirrors the situation that awaits them after school, in society in general, where men take up more space than women.

I wish there were more girls like Saga. And I wish that no girl (or boy, for that matter) comes across such teachers. And I wish this film can make a difference for those who feel oppressed, be it in school, at work or at home.

This film was really a disappointment. Having seen the TV-series and loving it, I had great expectations for this film. However, I got really disappointed. This film lacks very much that the TV-series has and it's not even very funny. I laughed on some occasions but most things that were supposed to be funny, I didn't like at all.

In the TV-series, the characters were more sympathetical and even though they could be cynical and evil on many occasions, they had more warmth and respect for others, than they had in the film.

The TV-series has given me many fine and funny moments and also a great anti-war message. The film however, gave me none of that, but only two wasted hours.

If you love the TV-series don't have too high expectations on the film, because it is no way near the high class and standards of the TV-series. Sure, you can see the film, to see what the original preceding the TV-series looked like, but be thankful that they gave us eleven great seasons but only two hours of crap and not the other way around.

This is a murder story and as such, it offers all the features of the classic puzzle mystery. But it is also cosy, with some nice sidetracks. If you're just looking for a dark murder mystery with cold, unsensitive stereotypes, don't watch this film. It keeps you wondering about the solution to the mystery, but it doesn't make you fly sky high when the door bell rings on a dark night. It is well worth watching, but not if you're only looking for a dark murder mystery.