La Proie

Albert Dupontel uses a lot of his physical strength and agility as his role character Franck Adrien, sentenced to prison for armed robbery.
His 'wife' visits him in prison, taking with her their daughter, something he dislikes as he doesn't find the environment being edificatory for her and he doesn't want to meet her during these conditions. The mother answers: "She wanted to meet her father" whereby he replies: "If I'm her father".
He finds himself with a roomate - Jean-Louis Maurel (Stéphane Debac) - being accused for molesting and killing a child or a young girl and this evokes feelings of hate among the other convicts, as pedophiles are on the bottom of the prison hierarchy. The young bespectacled man, claims that he is innocent and he is sure that justice will be done, meaning that he will be able to leave the prison as a free man.
Three convicts, constituting the 'correctional force' in the prison, one day enter the cell - this made possible by one of the corrupt prison officers - and ask Franck to step outside.
He does so but when they start to rape and disgrace his roommate, seeing that the guards doesn't intervene, he enters the cell and starts to fight with the three men. The guards rushes to and of course it's Franck who is punished.
Maurel is released after being acquitted of the crimes he was accused of and when leaving he asks Franck if there is anything he can do for him, as he - rightfully(?) - feels that he owes him this after what he did for him when being attacked. Franck answers that he wants him to leave a message to his 'wife'. This message is coded and displays where Franck has hidden the money from his robbery.
However, Maurel is not the person Franck thought he was and this becomes clair when he is visited by a policeman from the 'fugitive' squad' - Manuel Carrega (Sergi López) - telling him what he knows about Maurel after having hunted him for years, trying to find evidence for the crimes he is suspected having committed. Maurel is - according to Carrega - a serial killer and now Franck becomes frightened, thinking of what might happen to his 'wife' and daughter.
After a 'showdown' with the 'interior correctional force' and their friends among the guards, Franck escapes, finds his 'wife' killed and his daughter missing, being held captived by Maurel and his wife, the latter desperately wanting a child and therefore cooperating with her husband in his deeds.
Franck is of course suspected of being the serial killer and the hunt begins: The police hunting Franck, Franck hunting Maurel and Carrega trying to help Franck.

It's a well composed story in the action genre, rapidly and effectevily told but the characters are somewhat to clichéd, not least the serial killer/pedophile.
Dupontel's character seems to be invulnerable, physically but mentally he's though much more vulnerable, not least as he struggles with the mea culpa-syndrome, though well deserved.
In spite of the serious matter in this film, it never actually haunts me and the person I despise most, is Maurel's wife Christine (Natacha Régnier). By not interfering with the deeds her husband commits, she becomes as culpable as him. Not least as she uses him for her own egoistic reasons.

The end is a real 'cliff-hanger'!!
In spite of some negative points, I can recommed this film if it's action and suspense you are looking for.

Monkey Business (Marx Brothers)

Monkey Business is a story about the Marx Brothers on a boat trip.
Of course they boarded the boat as stowaways and of course they get into trouble with almost everyone on the boat when trying to hide from the captain and the crew.
As usual they annoy everyone and they also play some nice mucial pieces and Harpo also sets out for his regular chase of, not least, blondes. Is it because they have more fun or just because he is blond himself?

I've written before that the films we've now seen by the Marx Brothers doesn't make me laugh as wildely as I did when seeing their films as a younger man but on the other hand these might not be their best ones.
Their jokes are somewhat obsolete, and the chase (chasing) scenes really connects with the earliest movies in the dawn of the film making and it's not particularly innovative.

Musikk for bryllup og begravelser/Music for Weddings and Funerals

'Musikk for bryllup och begravelser' is a film both of us have seen before and the third film I (Gunnar) see from the director Unni Straume ('Til en ukjent' and 'Thranes metode').

The story circles around Sara (Lena Endre) and her ex-husband Peter (Bjørn Floberg), his current wife Helen (Petronella Barker), Peter's young mistress Kaja (Rebecka Hemse) and Sara's lodger Bogdan (Goran Bregovic).
Even if Peter at a rather early stage in the film disappears when committing suicide in the house he - as an architect - has written and where Sara now lives, the story continues to develop around him.
The house so profoundly being a part of himself and his life story also constitutes the terminus of the very same, making it his home and tomb.
Through his life, his work and his choices in life, he has had a major influence on many people and this in combination with a life that comprises minimalism - in his work as an architect - in combination with an excessive private life, not least concerning human relations, makes him a hard to define-person.

The film poses many interesting questions concerning both human relations, secrets in life, honesty and sincerity between persons, the difference between love, passion and desire, in short the meaning of life and living and how your exterior organisation of life not always corresponds with your interior person. The importance of lost moments and how they become essential when your life is on the edge of something dramatic, also constitutes one of the ingredients in this film, as well as questions of guilt and responsibility, revenge and forgivness.
All this is intervowen within a aesthetic framework, so well corresponding to the austere and minimalistic architecture created by Peter.
Aesthetically, I think this film is a pearl, at least during the first 2/3 of the film.
As a picturesque element in the film - picturesque in this milieu, with this aesthetic and with the emotionally inhibited Swedes and Norwegians - we get to meet Goran Bregovic' character and not least his musicians and singers, rending the film a surprising and exhilirating touch.

The acting is in general good and Floberg is - as always - one of the best participants in this oeuvre but I have to say that Lena Endre is shaping her role character, into becoming the centre of the story and catalyzer of events, not only because she has an important role but more thanks to her acting - and the direction of Unni Straume.

As Lisa, the mother of Peter, we see the recently deceased Norwegian 'Prima Donna' Wenche Foss.

De ofrivilliga/Involuntary

'De ofrivilliga' ('Involuntary') is a title that might make you reflect somewhat concerning whether or not it's an appropriate title for this film.
This reflection after seeing this œuvre, as no single person commit any action involuntary in this film, provided one don't believe that there is such a thing as the human free will but that all our actions are predestined.
The outcome of their actions might however be felt as not corresponding to their inner wishes, not in accordance with their will and there are person who involuntary become the victims of the decisions made by others and this might be the core of the title.
It's only a small boy who more or less is 'forced' to say something he doesn't wan't to say, making him look guilty of something he's not guilty of.

Again, If one understand the title as irony, it's perfectly chosen and if we look at all the different characters and their unwillingness to take responsibility for their life, the title is also ideal. They are reluctant to make decisions.
The other English title 'Happy Sweden' is also felt as ironic and is as such appropriate too.

In short the story circles around different people, their daily choices or lack of decisions and how this affect not only their own lives but others, often in a negative way and how they constantly try to flee their responsibility and the outcome of their decisions, blaming it on others or 'circumstances' over wich they had no influence.
As a mirror of human cowardice and fear of conflict, I think the film in a most accurate way describes the Swedish society, where the average Swede throughout decades has fled responsibility for his or her actions, relying on 'the Society' to help him or her out; not wanting to become involved in something that might have negative consequences on a personal level, even if it's a question of saving another persons life or helping your fellow countryman- or woman in a difficult situation.
This, of course, though the very same person, fleeing her responsibility in a similar situation very much would like someone to intervene to help and support but the average Swede often relies on the notion that "this doesn't happen to me...".

The film contains all these fears and as such very well reflects that not standing up and taking responsibility for your own actions, less standing up for others when they are in trouble, most often lead to negative consequences, not only for 'the others' but in the long run for yourself, your well being, not to mention your moral.
This not least as the personal actions accumulates and becomes an overall collective, societal behavioural pattern making - in this case - the Swedish society a Society of Fear, Cowardliness, Irresponsible Behaviour and Collectivism, a perfect society for a totalitarian regime or totalitarian subregimes in the smaller societal units.
Unfortunately I very much recognize my former country and the characters in the film makes me feel sick and I feel inclined to mishandle them. In making me feel like this, Ruben Östlund has really succeeded and at the same time, I'm so happy ('Swede') not living in Sweden anymore.
Having lived in Sweden though makes it easier to recognize the average Swede and his or her reactions, a déja vu-many-times-before-feeling that might escape other viewers, not familiar with Sweden as it is but more with the 'myth' so succesfully promoted abroad.

Rio (and Blu)

Rio is a little 'bagatelle' about the macaw 'Blu', a domesticated bird being confronted with his native Brasil, more or less involuntary.
This because a researcher/specialist in birds - dr Barbosa - finds him in the book store in Minnesota, where the owner Linda, works and where he resides as the 'book-bird' and friend of Linda.
One of 'Blu's' problems is that he can't fly. Not a small problem for a bird, supposed to fly.
He is though convinced to follow Linda and dr Barbosa to Rio de Janeiro, in order to save his species.
Just as he once was captured and brought to the USA, he is now captured, not only by the female macaw with whome he is supposed to couple but also by unscrupulous bird hunters.
From now on he experiences the adventure of his life but as this is a film for children, all ends well.

In the 'role'/voice as Blue we find Jesse Eisenberg.

We saw the film at Cinéma Lux, La Châtre.