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The Slingshot (film)
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Wikipedia article
'The Slingshot' is a Swedish drama film which was released to cinemas in Sweden on 24 September 1993, starring Jesper Saln, Stellan Skarsgrd and Basia Frydman. Directed by ke Sandgren, the film was based on Roland Schtt's 1989 autobiographical novel of the same name (translates to '"The Condom Slingshot"').
Plot
Roland (Saln) is the 12-year-old son of a Russian Jewish mother (Frydman) and a socialist father (Skarsgrd), coming of age in 1920s Stockholm. Due to his family's background, he has become an outcast to those around him, a constant target of bullying by his peers, and often humiliated and physically punished by a sadistic schoolteacher (Ernst-Hugo Jregrd) in front of classmates. In retaliation against his tormentors, Roland steals condoms from his mother's tobacco shop inventory and turns them into crude slingshot weapons. He also falls in love with a neighbourhood girl (Frida Hallgren), but as Roland attempts to toughen up and improve his troubled life, he also allies with the wrong group of friends and inadvertently makes himself a juvenile offender.
Shooting
Most outdoor scenes were shot in Prague as the Stockholm townscape at the time was considered to have undergone too many changes to depict the 1920s.
Cast
* Jesper Saln as Roland Schtt
* Stellan Skarsgrd as Fritiof Schtt
* Basia Frydman as Zipa Schtt
* Niklas Olund as Bertil Schtt
* Ernst-Hugo Jregrd as Teacher Lundin
* Ernst Gnther as Principal
* Axel Dberg as Inspector Gissle
* Reine Brynolfsson as Hinke Berggren
* Heinz Hopf as Shoe salesman
* Frida Hallgren as Margit
* Tomas Norstrm as Boxing Trainer
* Ing-Marie Carlsson as Karin Adamsson
* Rolf Lassgrd as Prisoner
Reception
The Danish-Swedish production has an 89% "fresh" rating on 'Rotten Tomatoes'. 'AllMovie' critic Clarke Fountain called the film an "affectionate, richly detailed portrait", while film critic James Berardinelli gave the film three and a half out of four stars and called it "a wonderful mix of tragedy, humor, and triumph." Conversely, the 'Washington Post' had an unfavorable view of the movie and called the story "a catalogue of catastrophes that surely left the real protagonist with many emotional scars."
At the 29th Guldbagge Awards the film won the award for Best Film. ke Sandgren was nominated for both Best Director and Best Screenplay, while Basia Frydman was nominated for Best Actress.
The film was the Swedish submission to the 66th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not make nomination.http://movies.tvguide.com/the-slingshot/129966 Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Year-end lists
* Best "sleepers" (not ranked) Dennis King, 'Tulsa World'
See also
* List of submissions to the 66th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
* List of Swedish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
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