IMDb RATING
6.5/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Two boys come of age in Sweden during World War II.Two boys come of age in Sweden during World War II.Two boys come of age in Sweden during World War II.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 12 nominations total
Jan Holmquist
- Doctor
- (as Jan Holmqvist)
Featured reviews
a film about family. values, secrets, members' links, fight for survive, fears, miracles. a film about the levels of life for a boy. and, sure, about oaks. impressive in that case is not only the high performances or the atmosphere, the story or the testimony of the lead character about his universe but the splendid strange feeling. it seems be one of stories who are parts of viewer life. in a special manner. Bill Skarsgard as Simon is brilliant but its art has a great frame. the landscapes, the flavor of the old world behind the war, the nuances of acting from his partners. a film like a web of emotions. a good source of reflection. about the life and about its truth. and about the price of each human age.
One of the many virtues of this outstanding film is the complexity of its characters. No one is purely good or bad. Good people make horrendous mistakes. Nature versus nurture has a huge role to play in individual and family lives. Another major virtue is the acting: I did not experience a single false note in any of the performances. Kudos also to the writer and director for the way World War II and the Holocaust are embedded in the story: realistically but without clichés. I found extremely interesting Simon's relationship with the oak tree and would have liked just a bit more of it throughout the movie, rather than most of it at the beginning, where it is hugely intriguing but ineffable. My only (very minor) complaint is the music, which I found at some critical points to be overbearing; I prefer it when the acting carries the day without the audience having to be signaled as to the importance of a certain action or moment. I was totally riveted through the entire film—for me, it doesn't get much better than that.
Honestly, I just watched it because of Bill Skarsgård, but I ended up loving it.
The story, the way it shows you the real atmosphere and the situations the characters are in. It has a lot of depth, in my opinion. It's a long movie but it's totally worth it. Personally, I find it very difficult to watch a long movie without getting bored, but this is one of those that doesn't even feel like a long movie. It keeps you interested in the story and I think you can even connect emotionally with it.
I loved the cinematography, the cast, I loved everything about it; it's officially one of my favorites.
The story, the way it shows you the real atmosphere and the situations the characters are in. It has a lot of depth, in my opinion. It's a long movie but it's totally worth it. Personally, I find it very difficult to watch a long movie without getting bored, but this is one of those that doesn't even feel like a long movie. It keeps you interested in the story and I think you can even connect emotionally with it.
I loved the cinematography, the cast, I loved everything about it; it's officially one of my favorites.
The nazi inspired another story. This one did not need nazi all that much and could have happened in another time in the past. I liked the story that was not all sweet but contained a lot of real life elements.
it is the film who makes me consider Bill Skarsgard a great actor. the motif - off course -its performance. but, in same measure, the atmosphere, the dialogues, the science to use details, the feeling to discover a family album, with old pictures, familiar and , in same measure, strange. a war film and the map of the world of a young man. sensitive, vulnerable, strong, brave, viewer and judge, Simon is a guide for the steps from an universe to the other. a guide who seems be reflection of yourself. and this fact does the film a kind of scent. not the story itself but the state of characters, like a large ball remains after the final credits. a film to see. for discover an old way to see the near reality.
Did you know
- TriviaJan Josef Liefers could not speak a word swedish. He learned to speak the Sound of the lines.
- GoofsWhen they visit the Berlin Jewish cemetery at the end, there is a headstone for someone who was murdered in a concentration camp. But there are no such headstones, as concentration camp victims' bodies were burned and disposed of in the camps, they weren't brought back to cemeteries for burial. I must disagree. There are numerous headstones in Jewish cemeteries in Germany that list the names and dates of people having died in concentration camps. Thus a stone like the one depicted in the film, may well have existed.
- SoundtracksThe Jewish Violinconcerto
Composed by Annette Focks
Performed by Max Wulfson - solo violine
Andre Peter - violin
Peter Bock - viola
Sebastian Selke- cello
Jorg Frohlich - double bass
Recorded and mixed by Jens Reule Dantas
MUSIC RECORDING STUDIO BERLIN Ufo Sound Studios
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Simon and the Oaks
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $150,664
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $9,964
- Oct 14, 2012
- Gross worldwide
- $4,505,573
- Runtime
- 2h 2m(122 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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