A gang of young anarchists want to change society by taking from those who have not earned their wealth themselves. Mikael Marcimain, with SVT successes such as "Händelser vid vatten" and "Lasermannen" in his background, is now making his first feature film for Netflix, based on Joakim Zander's novel "Ett ärligt liv".
Nora Rios plays one of the young activists, and she was drawn to both the unusual love story and her character Max.
There was a nerve in her life that permeated her as a character that I thought was so exciting. A strong urge to live outside the laws and create her own society. She had an incredibly different worldview from most people you meet in everyday life, says Rios who read up on anarchism in books by the revolutionary Victor Serge and in poems by Muhammad Al-Maghut.
Stopped at customs
In the film, law student Simon, played by Simon Lööf, comes to Lund to do something useful with his life, but discovers that his studies are mostly about learning rules. He recoils at the thought of a dull life, and then the enigmatic Max appears with her anarchist collective.
Max introduces him to a world that is a huge contrast to what Simon has experienced before. A world of excess, revolt, and community where the boundaries between lies and truth are constantly shifting. Although she herself claims to live according to radical honesty, says Nora Rios.
The situations Simon is drawn into were sometimes sweaty for the actors as well. During a night shoot on the Öresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark, Rios drove a car with fake license plates that had been loaded with fake narcotics, when the police arrived and the group was separated from the film team's escort vehicle.
I stand there trying to explain to them - after I don't know how many hours of work - how this is make-believe. And they don't believe me for a second, says Nora Rios and adds:
Film is rock and roll so it's part of it.
Becomes director
Nora Rios, who later this year will also become known to a new generation in the classic role of Malin in "Saltkråkan", has been acting since high school. But in the fall, she will study to become a director at the Valand Academy of Art.
I have always had a great interest in film in general and especially direction and script and the work behind it, and I would like to broaden my artistic skills in that direction.
Kristoffer Viita/TT
Elin Swedenmark/TT
Facts: Nora Rios
TT
Born: 1999
Background: Got her breakthrough in 2020 in the TV series "Kalifat", where she played the teenager Sulle. She has also had roles in the HBO series "The Head", and in the Swedish "Heartbeats".
Current: As Max in "Ett ärligt liv" and as Malin in the new production of "Saltkråkan".
Role models: Alicia Vikander, whom she calls "Sweden's pride". Also Tuva Novotny and Josephine Bornebusch, who have gone from being actresses to directors.
