Becoming Astrid

This film is very comparable with COLETTE. Both are biopics of major women authors who came along just before the great 20th Century advances in the status of women. In both, the repression and intolerance that still prevailed not so long ago are stunning. Both make up for their inability to incorporate very much of the literary contributions of their subjects with excellent production value and period look. Where COLETTE succeeds readily as a star vehicle, this film surprises by transporting the viewer so thoroughly into 1920s provincial Sweden. The lead actress, Alba August, is in nearly every shot and never disappoints. She reminds me of Lena Stolze or Julia Jentsch. If I had it to do over, I would read up a bit on each subject before seeing the respective movie.

Powerful deliberately paced drama with strong acting and wonderful cinematography.

Alba August is excellent in her lead role as Astrid Lindgren (nee Ericsson) who pays a heavy price in moralistic 1920's Sweden, for getting involved with her much older married boss and becoming pregnant. The partial biopic only covers Lindgren's life essentially from her mid-teen into her 20's.

Thus, we get only hints, such as her ability to make up fascinating stories to her siblings and her creative writing, as to how she would go on to create the extremely popular children's book series "Pippi Longstocking" among other works. Lindgren would become the 4th most prolific children's author to be translated globally.

Overall, a solid intense drama but I would have liked to have seen more of how Lindgren transformed into one of the most acclaimed children's authors of all time.

Although I do not really know neither Astrid Lindgren nor her characters Pippi Longstocking, Karlsson-on-the-Roof, ... I loved the film which is based on the exceptional performance of the lead actress Alba August as well as an extremely neat photography. We might think that this film is jointly sponsored by the tourist offices and the ministries of culture of both Sweden and Denmark.

This biopic traces the life of Astrid during a small decade, in the 20s. We discover first of all a talented, mischievous and dreamy teen, then a young, fighting and resilient woman. Although the intended public of the books is very young, that of the film excludes, in my humble opinion, the children. Instructive and moving!

Disclaimer: I'm not the first person who would watch this movie. I got dragged along with my friend to see it but I do know Lingren and know Pippi Longstocking.

The movie starts out at a wonderful pace. We are introduced to a ton of interesting characters. The pace is high and the music fits perfectly. We get to know Astrid, her family, where she lives and the jobs she does. This all changes as she takes on a job as an intern.

Some drastic things happen (I won't spoil what) and the focus shifts. This results in us seeing more of Astrid and less of the rest of the cast. The people she talks to don't get enough screen time to grow attached to. And the movie starts dragging. And dragging. It got so bad I literally had trouble keeping my eyes open.

And here's where to me the major flaw in this movies lies. The script. It's as if the writers focused so much on one aspect they forget that a movie should always be entertaining. With the pace being so low this very uneventful part of the story feels even worse. They got all these characters but you rarely get to see them. You don't know what how their relationship develops over the years. No one is singled out except for Astrid. But to make a movie work you have to have interaction.

There are however, still a couple of highlights. The ending is nice, the pace picks up again and we are finally reunited with characters we met at the beginning.

So all in all it's definitely worth watching for Lindgren fans, but I can't really recommend it for other moviegoers.

I'm from the US, with my own cultural pre-sets for entertainment and narratives (can't help it!). This Swedish movie was nonetheless easy for me to identify with and get deeply engrossed by. Yes, it tracked Astrid and the characters in her life a little differently from I'm used to - but that only added to its charm and intrigue. Young star Alba August incredibly portrayed Astrid at various ages - and not as a stunt of fancy make-up, but as a real and vivid character growing and evolving. I can totally see the Astrid in this movie creating Pippi Longstocking my own kids, and the world, loved.

Back to the "other culture" Swedish thing - I found I could not predict each new development at all - but I also resonated with each new phase, and understood and identified with each aspect, some rather poignant, of Astrid's life. Lastly, while some foreign movies can be depressingly heavy and dull, Becoming Astrid was bright, loving, and intensely enjoyable.