As radicalization grows and conflicts flare around the world, we need a counterbalance: something that makes us reflect on our actions as people and inspires us to reach consensus. Isn't that the task of culture? To give us food for thought and help point us towards a better world.
Alex Schulman's Arkipelag turns a school trip to a Swedish archipelago island into a study of group dynamics, blame, and preconceptions. Sweden's Oscar submission has drawn praise from many critics.
Schulman wrote and directed the film, his feature debut. Gustaf Skarsgård, Fares Fares and Linus Wahlgren play the three fathers accompanying the class.
Together with strong performances from the ensemble cast, the film manages to engage and touch the viewer deeply. Most of us can identify with this portrayal in different ways. You feel anger and yet sympathy for the characters at the same time. It shows that we all carry a backpack of experiences that make us who we are. It manages to convey a message of thoughtfulness before we judge each other too harshly. That we all carry good and evil and that we constantly misunderstand each other.
This is a film that engages and touches. A film that you take home with you after leaving the cinema. A film that you think back to. Sweden Herald gives Arkipelag the highest rating. Well done Alex Schulman!
What do you think?