Göteborg Film Festival   

Göteborg Film Festival 2025, according to me, Martin.

Startsladden

Celluloidrelay by various, SWE 2024-2025

Däck 5B, by Malin Ingrid Johansson: 2 unruly kids of 6

Cows, by Jakob Márky, Kasper Häggström: 5 prettos of 6

Familjen, by Malin Erixon: 3 circi of 6

True Artist, by Viktor Johansson: 2 skateboards of 6

Sthlm Rififi, by Tage Wikander Hervén: 2 80's vibes of 6

Fear fokol, Tuva Björk: 2 rifles of 6

Sky City, by Joel Viksten Abrahamsson, 2 shoes of 6

Kära mor, by Theodor Solin, 3 ornaments of 6

2.6 mixed media of 6

Stranger

Paleoaction by Mads Hedegaard, DEN 2025

Fairly straight-forward us-vs-them. Interesting world- and lore building, but ultimately not engaging enough to last the ages. The two languages spoken are both made up, and I would have used that to forgo subtitles for the non-POV-characters in order to enhance the feeling of alienation.

3 boars of 6

Triumph

Cons-piracy by Petar Valchanov, Kristina Grozeva, BUL 2024

A great premise (con woman pretends (or possibly has convinced herself to believe it) to be psychic in order to convince the military that she can gain access to advanced alien technology and knowledge) fails to fully deliver. Maria Bakalova shines, and some scenes are absurdly funny, especially in light of the fact that it's based on true events (not the alien technology, obvs, but that the Bulgarian military actually had an operation to unearth it). But ultimately unforgettable.

3 excavations of 6

Bird

Coming-of-egg-story by Andrea Arnold, GBR 2024

Misery, great immersion, fine acting, an antagonist that gets introduced more than halfway in without any build-up, and two instances of unexplained magic (one of which could be explained by being totally in the protagonist's mind without breaking the narrative, the other, not as much). Decent enough to watch, while watching, but nothing that lasts.

3 scooters of 6

Winner

Whistleblower by Susanna Fogel, USA/CAN

Well-acted, and with likeable and believable characters. Based on a true story, but obviously tweaked a fair bit. But they make it entertaining, and just the right amount of thought provokingness.

4 sit-ups of 6

Eno

Rockumentary Gary Hustwit, GBR 2024

By-the-numbers documentary about a legendary producer and studio technician.

3 channels of 6

Ljósbrot

Lossdeal by Rúnar Rúnarsson, ICE 2024

Well-acted and decently written, with some familiarity and a heavy theme. Not really worthy winner.

3 neverending days of 6

Les femmes au balcon

Cleanup by Noémie Merlant, FRA 2024

We were promised egregious gore and absurd black humour, presented from a female perspective. Well, the gore was PG lame and the humour was neither really dark, nor that frequent. Where the film succeeds a bit better is in the social commentary, which indeed is presented from a female perspective. Lots of bewbs, and pretty meh.

3 tassels of 6

Under the Volcano

Perspectivedrama by Damian Kocur, UKR 2024

The horrors of war reach far beyond the borders, and can change reality in an instant. A family finds their everyday problems expand exponentially when the war breaks out. Both the child actors impress in their roles. But the pacing is a bit off, and one can only stretch the story so far.

3 penguins of 6

So it Goes

Killfilm by Lee Haram, KOR 2024

Well. Bad acting, incomprehensible plot, special needs effects, the occasional scene with what one can only assume is supposed to be a spaceship, unlikeable characters and just painfully bad sound editing. Who is this film for? If you don't have a story or can hire decent actors, at least have fun with the gore. Don't half-arse it. On the plus side: the seating (middle of the VIP row with plenty of leg room) was excellent!

1 bullet of 6

Mykkätrilogia

Celluloidrelay by Juho Kuosmanen, FIN 2024

A trio of black and white silent short films from 13, 7 and 2 years ago is bound to be rather uneven. The first is almost unironically Finnish in its ennui and silent isolation, the second a sad-ish slapstick comedy and the third a bittersweet sibling friendship dramedy with lighthouses and spaceships, so.... The live orchestra (some of the musicians appeared in the films) adds to the experience, and the harmonising singers are excellent. But all in all, it's just three simple stories, shot for funsies on a toy camera.

3 bottles of booze of 6

Fréwaka

Sidhehorror by Aislinn Clarke, IRE 2024

Suspenseful and not overly reliant on jump scares. Most characters are a bit too unlikeable to care too much for, but that just adds to the uneasiness of it all.

3 fluorescent marys of 6

Les barbares

Refugee dramedy by Julie Delpy, FRA 2024

A nicely balanced feel-good comedy with some serious undertones. Lots of quirky and lovable characters, along with some less so. A bit contrived from time to time, but in a cozy way.

4 andouilles of 6

Hiver à Sokcho

Identityessay by Koya Kamura, KOR 2024

Some great acting, some great minor characters, a few good conversations and a genuinely unpleasant aunt make this film a decent watch, and not much more.

3 fugu slices of 6

Quizás es cierto lo que dicen de nosotras

Cultcrime by Sofia Paloma Gómez, Camilo Becerra, ARG 2024

It has potential: the follow-up of a crime committed as a possible result of being brainwashed in a cult. However, the execution is poor, and fails to deliver.

2 crashed windowpanes of 6

Goodrich

Feelgoodflick by Hallie Meyers-Shyer, USA

Very well put together. It pulls on the heartstrings just right, and Mila Kunis has a great scene. As always, if Michael Keaton is in a film, he's probably one of best things in it.

4 artists of 6

Touch

Haikuisine by Baltasar Kormákur, ICE/GBR 2024

Subtle, sweet, sad and safe. An excellent trio of actors tell a tale of love and loss, regrets and repairs. And we get to float along. And with a renewed love of travel and cooking, at least for me.

5 syllables of 6

Pavements

Rockumentary by Alex Ross Perry, USA 2024

Even though I have little to no connection to the titular band (which is odd, as I did inhabit that musical neighborhood back in the 90's), a well made documentary can pique interest in any subject. Perry skillfully adopts a triptych technique where he simultaneously explores the band's past, the making of the contemporary biopic and the preparations for the stage adapted jukebox musical. And I deepened my connection to 90's anarchy indie to boot

4 rhymes of 6

Super Happy Forever

Meetloss by Kohei Igarashi, JPN 2024

Boy meets girl, boy gives girl hat, girl loses hat, boy loses girl. Pretty, but pretty meh.

2 caps of 6

Ultras

Supportersupport by Ragnhild Ekner, SWE/DEN/FIN 2025

Brilliant photo, uneven pacing and a fair bit of nostalgic recognitions sums up this goodlooking documentary that shies away from controversy a bit.

3 tifos of 6

Disobedience shorts

Celluloidrelay by various

Ansökan.mov by Jakob Ekvall, Saga Samuelsdotter: 2 neighbourhoods of 6

In My Hand by Marja Helander, Liselotte Wajstedt: 3 limbs of 6

Good Girls Don't Scream by Emma Rosman: 3 dresses of 6

Feasting Junta by André Córdova Rudstedt: 1 AI shite of 6

Aktionen by Einar Bredefeldt: 3 country roads of 6

Segertåget by Alex Veitch, Talat Bhat: 4 cancelled departures of 6

2.7 mixed media of 6

Inside

Internmission by Charles Williams, AUS 2024

It's possible to make an engaging prison story without the usual clichés or making either side look like complete monsters, Williams proves. Both young Vincent Miller and Guy Pearce excel, and the scene where the latter gets to visit his son is strong.

5 shivs of 6

Memoir of a Snail

Clayphase by Adam Elliot, AUS 2024

There is something extraordinary with animation in which you can see the literal fingerprints on the clay. Elliot's attention to details is spot on, and it rewards the viewer time and again. Add a quirky animation style and a well-written darkly humourous script, and we get a gem of a film, balancing the sad and the hopeful perfectly.

5 jellybeans of 6

The End

Postapocalysical by Joshua Oppenheimer, GBR/DEN/GER/IRE/ITA/SWE 2024

Amazing set design and even amazinger acting, with story beats that tug at the heart strings and leaves you anxious in equal measures. For a musical, the music is rather bland, but it would have been a different film without it.

4 fancy costumes of 6

Echoes

Celloidrelay by various, SWE 2024

Vi går inte härifrån, by Lukas Moodysson: 4 tiny drums of 6

Öronmask, by Patrik Eklund: 4 hits of 6

12 points, by Isabella Rodriguez: 3 points of 6

Råttan ibland oss, by Chimichurri: 5 GOATS of 6

Vem Fan är Hugo Alfvén? by Elin Övergaard, Manne Indahl: 4 violins of 6

EPAdunk, by Jakob Arevärn: 4 km/h of 6

4.0 mixed media of 6

Marcello Mio

Identityfilm by Christophe Honoré, FRA/ITA 2024

A metafilm which probably feels more important and impactful for those who have a stronger connection to Marcello Mastrioanni. Not without its moments, though.

3 moustachios of 6

Presence

Traumathriller by Steven Soderbergh, USA 2024

Could I copy the review from El Llanto? Partly, but the tension here is much more grounded. The oners help, and the very real domestic drama adds to the suspension. I would have preferred to keep it as ambiguous as it started, and apart from one scene (which makes it explicitly so), the story could work as either supernatural or not.

4 silver nitrate mirrors of 6

El Llanto (The Wailing)

Filmphantomfilm by Pedro Martín-Calero, ESP/ARG 2024

Martín-Calero builds tension, and surrounds us with mystery. By exploring two different eras, one generation apart, the film manages to add layers to the backstory while simultaneously expanding it. As is often the case with suspense horror, the climax goes a bit over the top. We not only get to see the threat, but also its former victims. It is well executed, though, and we get to work out the details ourselves.

5 recordings of 6

L'Empire

Spacespectacle by Bruno Dumont, FRA/ITA/GER/BEL/POR 2024

I think this needs to be just a bit worse to fully enter the wonderful realm of so-bad-it's-good movies. The plot is ridiculous and inconsistent, the acting sub-par and the pacing is completely off. Had it not been for the decent to great special effects, the clever set design and the actually interesting premise, this would have been a contender at The Bad Film Festival. As it is, it's just fascinatingly bad, with failed nods to Lynch and Villeneuve.

2 black blobs of 6

Pepe

Hippohistory by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, DOM/NAM/GER/FRA 2024

The story of what happened to the only free roaming herd of hippopotami outside of Africa after the downfall of the drug kingpin that brought them to his private zoo in Colombia is told by one of its largest males, Pepe. But it strays, moreso than the beasts supposedly focal to the film, and follows instead the lives of the locals along the river. The weird choice of interspersing the film with 1 billion lumens of blinding white screen lowers the grade a peg, buy Pepe's baritone voice is memorable, be it in Afrikaans or Spanish, and raises it back up.

3 tonnes of 6

A Complete Unknown

Bioguitarpick by James Mangold, USA 2024

The music biopic was already perfected with Walk Hard (2006), and any new ones automatically loses points the closer they follow that template. Mangold strays from the formulaic, and is therefore able to just tell the story. Which is decent, but no more. Where the film shines is in emotions, excellently relayed by most of the cast. Timmy C is decent enough (but his singing voice is too polished and frankly too good to accurately channel Zimmerman's), Elle Fanning acts (or rather _reacts_) emphatically and Ed Norton is, ss always, a treasure. The real find, however, is Monica Barbero, giving life, and a pretty voice (maybe too pretty) to Joan Baez.

4 harMonicas of 6

Nominees

(winners presented way further down):

Best supporting actor:

Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown

George MacKay, The End

Sofia Berezovska, Under the Volcano

Micael Shannon, The End

Best leading actor:

Monica Barbero, A Complete Unknown

Maria Bakalova, Triumph

Michael Keaton, Goodrich

Guy Pearce, Inside

Best ensemble:

The End

Touch

Ljósbrot

A Complete Unknown

Best director:

Julie Delpy, Les Barbares

Baltasar Kormákur, Touch

Adam Elliot, Memoir of a Snail

Pedro Martín-Calero, El Llanto (The Wailing)

Best film:

Touch

Inside

Memoir of a Snail

El Llanto (The Wailing)

And as per usual (it's a tradition, or an old charter, or something....), it seems proper to announce

This year's.....

….cinema: Draken

….low-point: Feasting Junta by André Córdova Rudstedt was pure AI shite

….shortage: Animation

….best seat: Middle of VIP row at Biopalatset

….cinematography: Ania Winiarska, Ultras

….reading: The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch

….most uneven: Mykkätrilogia

….set/production design: Jette Lehmann, The End

….theme: Supernatural or not?

….vignette film: “Be mindful. And stop. Watching. NOW!”

….weather: Mostly fine

….screenplay: Adam Elliot, Memoir of a Snail

….transport: Trams, E-bike, feet

….Lost item: None

….Skarsgård: None, that I could see

….documentary: Ultras

....rising star: Vincent Miller, Inside

....music: Mykkätrilogia

And, who won? Well:

Best supporting actor:

Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown

Best leading actor:

Maria Bakalova, Triumph

Best ensemble:

The End

Best director:

Pedro Martín-Calero, El Llanto (The Wailing)

Best film:

Memoir of a Snail

Film. Filmfilmfilm.

(c) Martin Smedendahl 2025