The Movies You Must See at the Gothenburg Festival

270 films from 80 countries are shown at Sweden's largest festival, which begins tonight. This year with a new artistic leader: Pia Lundberg. Here are the highlights of the Gothenburg Film Festival where Oscar favorites get a sneak premiere and Wilmer X rubs shoulders with Dylan.

» Published: January 24 2025

The Movies You Must See at the Gothenburg Festival
Photo: Lol Crawley/A24/AP/TT

"Before Darkness" (Dir: Eirik Svensson).

In this year's Norwegian opening film, aid workers in Africa are faced with a difficult moral dilemma when an aggressive militia demands that a man being cared for is handed over to them.

"The Girl with the Needle" (Magnus von Horn).

The newly Oscar-nominated director Magnus von Horn's black-and-white drama is about an illegal abortion clinic in Copenhagen after the war.

"Ultras" (Ragnhild Ekner).

Swedish documentary filmmaker Ragnhild Ekner has followed the global supporter culture in countries such as Morocco, Argentina – and in Sweden, including at Ullevi.

"Alexandra – if we're not seen, we don't exist" (Olivia Kastebring).

Alexandra Charles was a party queen from the 1960s onwards. But in recent years, she has mostly engaged in activities for the aging population. Her life is portrayed in a new documentary.

"The Fruits of the Holy Tree" (Mohammad Rasoulof).

Director Mohammad Rasoulof's drama depicts an Iranian family where the father signs judgments against demonstrators in the country in 2022, while his daughters are out on the streets.

"Wilmer X – When Time Stands Still" (Stefan Berg).

The popular band has had rock'n'roll in their blood for 45 years. But what is it like to age when you have played youthful music all your life? Documentary filmmaker Stefan Berg follows the Malmö band as they make a comeback.

"A complete unknown" (James Mangold).

Timothée Chalamet has been praised – and received an Oscar nomination – for his role as Bob Dylan. In the early 1960s, a young Robert Zimmerman comes to New York and soon nothing is the same in the music world.

"The Brutalist" (Brady Corbet).

A three-and-a-half-hour epic – including a mandatory break – about architecture? Yes, but it is also a story about anti-Semitism, love, and abuse in post-war USA.

"The last showgirl" (Gia Coppola).

Pamela Anderson, previously best known from "Baywatch", plays an aging dancer who experiences the downside of the American dream in 1980s Las Vegas.

"Bonjour tristesse" (Durga Chew-Bose).

Claes Bang, Chloë Sevigny, and Lily McInerny play the lead roles in a new version of Françoise Sagan's classic novel about a young woman's summer adventures on the French Riviera.

The Gothenburg Film Festival takes place this year between January 24 and February 2.

For those who cannot attend the physical cinemas, a digital festival is offered with 44 films that can be streamed online for a limited period.

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By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

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