It is a Swedish movie, screened as a part of
Swedish film fest at Chennai’s Max Mueller Bhavan. The movie is about how a
woman takes revenge on her school mates, she grew up with and was bullied and
ignored by during school days. What
makes this simple looking story special is that the protagonist is an artist
and she avenges herself through art. The how of it unravels in layers in the
course of the movie.
Though it’s a very simple sounding story line
the movie makes a big impact on the viewer. The introductory note said that the
movie was semi auto biographical. Yes, the maker, Anna odelle herself plays the
lead.
The movie is anchored around a reunion happens
and Anna is not invited to it. Anna has very bitter memories of being bullied
and ignored during school. She is now a successful artist and obviously feels
strong and all set to settle scores. At the same time she finds it difficult to
accept that her mates still choose to avoid her. Its these two strands – the
urge to settle scores and the pain of being ignored that intertwine to form the
narrative.
Anna comes across as a very self built person
very sure of achieving what she wanted. The shine in her eyes can be piercingly sad at times. the hierarchies that prevail among mates in a school are quite a common thing. but the striking pain and bitterness it leaves Anna with is evident in her performance. The fact that she has cast herself in the role lends the movie a very beautiful dimension.
The mates react to Anna’s work in
different ways. Some go to great lengths to avoid meeting her. Anna remains cold with many mates and is very keen to be avenged
Anna speaks to a school mate and tells him that
this was the first time they were speaking, and that they had never spoken to
each other in the nine years of their school life.
Every mate who comes to meet Anna is interested
in figuring out how and what have they been depicted as. One mate even relishes
meeting the artist who plays him. The meeting of the two forms a very
philosophical moment in the movie.
One mate totally fails to see Anna’s point and
is worried that public display of Anna’s work could bring disrepute to him and
his family.
one can't end this write up on the movie without mentioning the excellent perfomances of the artists who make up the charecters of the school mates in Anna's work of art and those who play it in the movie itself. it took a while for it to occur to me that the two were different and it is this dichotomy that takes the movie to a league of its own and gives it a unique philosophical depth.
There a couple of music tracks, 'x =x' and 'the war is over' in the movie.
They are fabulous and set a superb feel for the movie, particularly towards the
climax.