Evil

aka: Ondskan
Sweden 2003, 110 minutes
Dir. Mikael Håfström
In Swedish with English subtitles
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Drama

Topics: Problem Child, Period 1950s.

Feat. Andreas Wilson, Henrik Lundstrom, Gustaf Skarsard

Aroview: Based on a renowned novel, this dramatic thriller is set in the 1950s Sweden, where a high school bully (Wilson) is expelled and sent by his mother to an exclusive private school, Stjärsnberg Academy.

Here the teenage rebel discovers a a stern and unforgiving discipline meted out by a ruling clique of wealthy senior students. With its sturdy plot geometry and theme of class oppression, this is honed by striking performances and a thoroughly polished set of cinematic smarts, right up until the predictably bloody finale.

NZ International Film Festival 2004