[ad_1]
The question is whether the theme of the eternal homecoming, which has been traded with all the other Swedish film hits, has been as sharp as in Peter Grönlund’s HBO series “Björnstad.” It is the story of the NHL hero’s return to his hockey-mad homeland, where his transatlantic merits and manners arouse both gleeful admiration and defensive instincts.
Peter Andersson has accepted a coaching job with the association, which in ancient times played in the top division. Now everyone awaits a new era of greatness against all odds. But who does he think is the star when he wants to take over the up-and-coming youth gang instead of the tired A-team?
In other words, much of “Björnstad” feels familiar, at the same time it is a refreshing descent into a depopulated landscape and old ice rinks that are otherwise hidden in the shadow of the media.
For one thing, hockey portraits are very rare in the history of Swedish cinema, given that it is sometimes referred to as a national sport. The “Åsa-Nisse strikes” of 1965 did not create a cinematic ice age, but it is a fairly representative example of how sports in general have been portrayed on the big screen (the review of Swedish sports films by scientist Margareta Rönnberg It is titled “Training and Competing is Comical”).
For one thing, Norrbotten’s portraits of small towns are rare, especially descriptions that generally feel dialectically correct. Feeling for the environments and amateur actors has been the hallmark of director Peter Grönlund in the feature films “Thieves” and “Goliath.” Through seasoned actress Maggie Widstrand, “Björnstad” also has the right person in the right place. Photographer Petrus Sjövik, who was awarded a Golden Bug for Kiruna’s “Cuteness”, captures all-round icy weather with a bluish hue.
My reservations in the introduction of the series, especially since there has already been a Swedish hockey attempt on “Friday night lights” through the SVT series “Eagles”, are also a shame. “Björnstad” certainly represents the prelude to a final match, but above all the aftermath of abuse. Then the old star and his family suddenly turn the entire area against him and the series becomes a critical look at the local hockey order of power.
Ulf Stenberg exudes a confident but lost masculinity in the role of Peter, who not only has an American motivational talk but also a family tragedy in his luggage. The wife powerlessly becomes an assistant figure, rather than a human in her own right, but Aliette Opheim continues the role with the usual pondus. His teenage daughter Maya, soon to be hated by all, is played by Miriam Ingrid with sensitive integrity.
As young hockey star Kevin, who should not only live up to his father’s expectations, but should save all of Björnstad, rookie Oliver Dufåker skillfully balances between greatness, madness and collapse.
There are some comical valves here too. David, who has been demoted to assistant coach, is constantly frustrated, as is Maggan, the overcommitted skating rink mother, who says that kids shouldn’t be taken to hockey when a parent questions her language. grandstand.
Still, there is no denying that this tackle would not be welcomed with open arms in a hockey context. Compare that to Kjell Sundvall’s beloved “Jägarna” from 1996, who was not particularly sympathetic to Norrbotten. But if the movie was a null image, it also contained enough color and character to feel alive.
In “Björnstad”, violence is not portrayed with the same sweaty lust as in Sundvall’s coarse-grained thriller. Instead, it bears more similarities to two 2014 movies. Like Beata Gårdelers “Flocken,” the series contains scenes in which a vengeful teenage girl moves through the woods with a shotgun. Like Jens Östberg’s “Flugparken”, it is a representation of masculinity in a degrading hockey environment. Two excellent, dark night movies that drew a few thousand to theaters.
“Björnstad” has a melodramatic redemption, successful author Fredrik Backman, after all, is behind the model, which makes it something else. And of course it is symptomatic that “Björnstad”, which corresponds to the rare combination of quality and public opinion that the Swedish film industry yearns for, turns out to be a television series.
“Björnstad” clearly points to a hockey culture that creates winning skulls, but sometimes makes it difficult to have something else in mind. Sometimes the series has traits of pedagogical ambiguity, but at the same time it is so well interpreted and compromised that the icy cold burns on the cheeks. Peter Grönlund is not the only filmmaker who has recently become a series creator for major streaming services, but he is the one who has best managed to preserve his uniqueness while also telling an important story.
Read more:
Ulf Stenberg: Hockey and gangs run by the same macho culture
Read more texts by Jacob Lundström here.
