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'
In Your Hands (2004)
6.9/10
Director: Annette K Olesen
Starring: Ann Eleonora Jorgensen, Trine Dyrholm, Nicolaj Kopernikus Christiansen, Sonja Ri...
Set in a women's prison, this award-winning film is the 10th feature to be made adhering to the strict rules of the Dogme Manifesto, introduced by Lar... Read more
Jar City (2006)
7/10
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Starring: Atli Rafn Sigurdarson, Ingvar Eggert Sigurdsson, Thorsteinn Gunnarsson
Ancestral bloodlines have deadly significance in this pair of interconnected tales from director Baltasar Kormakur ('101 Reykjavik'). A desperate man... Read more
Acquitted: Series 1 (2015)
7.6/10
Starring: Nicolai Cleve Broch, Lena Endre
Starring Nicolai Cleve Broch and Lena Endre, Acquitted follows the story of Aksel Borgen, who left his hometown after being cleared of the murder of h... Read more
O'Horten (2007)
6.8/10
Director: Bent Hamer
Starring: Ghita Norby, Baard Owe, Espen Skjonberg, Bjorn Floberg
Now in his late sixties and approaching retirement, Norwegian train engineer Odd Horten (Baard Owe) embarks on a - dare one say it - odd journey of se... Read more
Summer with Monika (1952)
7.6/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Harriet Andersson, Lars Ekborg
An early Ingmar Bergman-directed melodrama about a trusting, perplexed young storeroom clerk (Lars Ekborg), whose summer interlude with the aggressive... Read more
The Queen of Sheba's Pearls (2004)
5.2/10
Director: Colin Nutley
Starring: Helena Bergstrom, Lorcan Cranitch, Lindsay Duncan, Tim Dutton, Rollo Weeks, Eliz...
Set in post-war England, a young man celebrates his 16th birthday when a strange and beautiful woman appears at the door. She bears a striking resemb... Read more
A Song For Martin (2001)
7/10
Director: Bille August
Starring: Sven Wolter, Viveka Seldahl
In director Bille August's meditation on autumnal love, famous composer Martin meets and falls for Barbara a gifted violinist. Abandoning their former... Read more
Sauna (2008)
6.3/10
Director: Antti-Jussi Annila
Starring: Ville Virtanen, Tommi Eronen, Viktor Klimento, Sonja Petajajarvi
A transcendental shocker, set in 1595, just as Protestant Sweden and Orthodox Russia have reached an uneasy truce. In the wake of their fighting, Finl... Read more
Iron Sky (2012)
5.9/10
Director: Timo Vuorensola
Starring: Udo Kier, Julia Dietze, Christopher Kirby, Gotz Otto, Peta Sergeant, Stephanie P...
Aiming for instant cult status, this outrageous sci-fi comedy reveals how the Nazis managed to continue their plans for world conquest after losing Wo... Read more
The Magician (1959)
7.5/10
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand
Set in the 1840s in Stockholm, the mystery and enigma of life and death itself are embodied in Vogler, the magician who runs "Vogler's Magnetic Health... Read more