Review of Fyra nyanser av brunt (2004)
Every story contains a father and one (prominent) child. In one case, the son is a neglected teenager who causes a horrible accident, straining his placid family. In another, the father is a travelling stage magician who brings his corny act, his increasingly distant wife, and a mysterious stranger—a subtly nightmarish man—to the son’s picture perfect modern beach hotel. In Gothenburg, a group of people attend a “cooking class” at a community center, which is actually amateur group therapy for these twisted loners. Meanwhile, way up north, a rich patriarch holds forth on the outrageous life he lived, now that he’s dead. His funeral, where he intends to rise again, is one of the many intertwined dramatic heights.
Tragicomedy. Four different stories taking place in modern Sweden, related by theme. There is a television version where the stories are told separately, whereas the movie version alternates between them.
Killinggänget, the team behind this thing, have gone irregularly from humorous variety show to increasingly profound and tragic penetrations of (Swedish) psychology. Absurdism is always in there somewhere, and there are many good laughs in this epic, but very little happiness for the characters. It’s hard to be a good parent, and the consequences go a long way, but sometimes it’s possible to grab a problem and make things a little brighter. Not an original message, but effectively delivered.