Evil
(Ondskan)
Screening on Film
Directed by Mikael Håfström.
With Andreas Wilson, Henrik Lundström, Gustaf Skarsgård.
Sweden, 2003, 35mm, color, 114 min.
Swedish with English subtitles .
With Andreas Wilson, Henrik Lundström, Gustaf Skarsgård.
Sweden, 2003, 35mm, color, 114 min.
Swedish with English subtitles .
Mikael Håfström’s adaptation of one of the most beloved books in modern Swedish literature (a memoir by journalist Jan Guillou) offers a vivid portrait of the class system at work in mid-century Sweden. Set within the teeming microcosm of an exclusive boys’ prep school, Evil follows the entry of a new student into this exclusive world of privilege. Working with Ingmar Bergman’s production designer for Fanny and Alexander, the director opts for a spare style in his exploration of the supposedly civil world of well-bred elitism that, in short order, reveals itself to be an arena of violence and hypocrisy.