Scandinavian Cinema
'Scandinavian' is an Alice grouping which includes Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. To find films from one of these countries specifically use the 'By Country' link on the left hand menu.
From the sublime to the ridiculous; from Bergman to Lars von Trier, there is something in this section for everyone.
Films from this region are often deeply personal and have a brutal honesty about them. Characters are often deeply flawed or troubled but not judged. The Dogme 95 collective (founded by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg) exemplifies this attitude in their manifesto. Not just the stories but the film-making process itself is absolutely 'no frills'. (Visit www.dogme95.dk for more details.)
Other notables in this section include the quirky Finlander, Aki Kaurismaki, Fridrik Thor Fridrikkson from Iceland and Norwegian, Erik Skjoldjaerg.
Pictured: "It's one of the most delicious parts I've ever played. I've never been such a bastard before." Stellan Skaarsgard on his role in the rivetting 'Zero Kelvin'
The Seventh Seal (1957)
8.2/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson
Disillusioned and exhausted after a decade of battling in the Crusades, a knight (Max von Sydow) encounters Death on a desolate beach and challenges h... Read more
Fanny and Alexander (The Theatrical Version) (1982)
8.1/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Pernilla Allwin, Bertil Guve, Gunn Wallgren, Ewa Froling, Jan Malmsjo, Erland Jo...
Through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander (Bertil Guve), we witness the great delights and conflicts of the Ekdahl family, a sprawling, convivial bou... Read more
101 Reykjavik (2000)
6.9/10
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Starring: Victoria Abril, Hilmir Snaer Gudnason, Hanna Maria Karlsdottir, Baltasar Kormaku...
A young man's sexual impulses go haywire when he discovers that the woman he has just been to bed with happens to be his mother's lesbian lover. Set a... Read more
Wild Strawberries (1957)
8.2/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Victor Sjostrom, Gunnar Bjornstrand
The film that catapulted Bergman to the forefront of world cinema is the directors richest, most humane movie. Traveling to receive an honorary degre... Read more
The Bridge: Series 1 (2011)
8.6/10
Starring: Kim Bodnia, Sofia Helin
A woman's body is dumped in the middle of the Oresund Bridge - right on the border between Sweden and Denmark. What at first looks like one murder, tu... Read more
Force Majeure (2014)
7.3/10
Director: Ruben Östlund
Starring: Clara Wettergren, Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Kristofer Hivju, Fanni Me...
Cannes observers were stunned that this provocative and improbably entertaining new film by Swedish director Ruben Östlund wasn't selected for competi... Read more
Rams (2015)
7.3/10
Director: Grimur Hakonarson
Starring: Charlotte Boving
Made in Iceland and inconceivable anywhere else this wryly observed winters tale about two obstinate bachelor farmers was the jury and audience f... Read more
Borgen: Season 1 (2010)
8.5/10
Starring: Soren Malling, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, Johan Philip Asbae...
In a world of political and personal intrigue, the Bafta award-winning series (Best International Drama Series) "Borgen" follows the intricate and com... Read more
The Bridge: Series 2 (2013)
7.6/10
Starring: Kim Bodnia, Sofia Helin
An old tanker veers off course, heading straight for the Øresund Bridge, the scene of the now-infamous crime that first united detectives Saga Norén (... Read more
My Life As A Dog (1985)
7.6/10
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Starring: Anton Glanzelius, Tomas Von Bromssen, Anki Liden
A completely enchanting and bittersweet film in which a young boy is shipped off to spend the summer with his uncle after his mother falls ill. A touc... Read more