Smala Sussie (2003)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Ulf Malmros

Writers:

Ulf Malmros (writer)
Petteri Nuottimäki (writer)

Release Date:

9 April 2004 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Plot:

A young man returns to his hometown to look for his missing sister.

Plot Keywords:

Greed | Gangster | Video Store | Police | Disappearance

Cast

Tuva Novotny	...	Smala Sussie
Jonas Rimeika	...	Erik Svärd
Björn Starrin	...	Grits Pölsa
Kjell Bergqvist	...	Billy Davidsson
Malin Morgan	...	Sandra
Lotta Tejle	...	Gudrun
Michael Nyqvist	...	Mörka Rösten
Lena Dahlman	...	Gerd
Johan Andersson	...	Micke Tretton
Anders Blomberg	...	Tore Tumör
Nicky Horn	...	Davidssons fru
Bengt Alsterlind	...	Gunnar
Lena Wallman-Alster	...	Eriks mamma (as Lena Wallman Alster)
Rolf H. Karlsson	...	Biografmaskinisten
Olle Wirenhed	...	Konsumägaren Ralf

Also Known As:

Slim Susie (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

Sweden:97 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Iceland:14 | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:15 | Norway:15

Filming Locations:

Bengtsfors, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Company:

Film i Väst

Trivia:

Some scenes were taken from director Ulf Malmros' own youth. One is where Erik decides to move to Stockholm because of the film company has forgotten to send the last act of Pulp Fiction (1994) to the local theatre. In real life it was _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)_ and the projectionist came down and told the ending of the movie.

Quotes:

Biografmaskinisten: As you can see, the movie ended here. They forgot to send the last reel. Yeah I know, it sucks. But I'll try to fix this.
[Dials a phone number on the cell phone]
Biografmaskinisten: Hi, it's me. I'm fine. How are you? Hey, you've seen Pulp Fiction, right? How does it end? Uh-huh. Sounds complex. What about the negro? OK, bye.
[Turns to audience]
Biografmaskinisten: I'm sorry to tell you this, but John Travolta dies. Bruce Willis shoots him as he comes out of the bathroom. But things worked out for the negro, anyway.

Movie Connections:

References "Dekalog" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Slow Motions

Semi-successful fake energy

In the cinema world, there aren't many more irritating things than a film pretending to be bursting with energy. Why am I saying this here, you ask. Well, I answer, halfway through one (read: me) grows a bit numb of all this trickery. And before you draw any faulty conclusions: I like this film.

On the bright side, the look is a breath of fresh air for a Nordic film. Kjell Bergqvist is good, and expectedly so, I gather from his history. The humour works often, the deadpan parts especially. ("The ending of Pulp..." Clever in an incidental way, and in an intentional one too, I presume. Funny in any case.)

But there are the flashback-often-within-flashback structure, characters that are, like, so cuhrayzeee (including the "film buff" of whom I shan't say a word though was going to), the would-be edgy restlessness and in-your-face movie references that are bound to annoy some and be of excellence to some. It almost ceases to interest "one" during the final half, or, in other words already said, me grows a bit numb of it.

Those who think "Chain of Fools" is brilliant (and golly, there are those) will probably find this very appealing. Nevertheless (notice the tone), this works quite sufficiently, and any non-realistic Nordic film is of course always welcome. And just to clarify things: I like this.