Behind Blue Skies

Set in the mid-seventies, the heyday of Swedish pop culture, Behind Blue Skies has all the nuance and detail that one might expect from a novel, yet is as brisk and lively as any movie you will see this year—a fact that is particularly evident in the film’s memorable opening sequence, which depicts a teenaged boy’s nightmarish version of coitus interruptus.

Seventeen-year-old Martin (Bill Skarsgård) is the eldest son in a tortured family. His father is unstable at best, while his long-suffering mother supports the family by minding other people’s children. This summer, however, Martin is offered an escape by his wealthy best friend, Micke (Adam Pålsson), who invites Martin to a resort community on the Stockholm archipelago. Given a job in a restaurant at the island’s biggest summer camp, Martin is swiftly abandoned by Micke in favour of his cooler summer pals. This proves not to be a problem since Jenny (Josefin Ljungman), the girl Martin has eyes for, also works at the restaurant.

The major complication is the restaurant’s manager, Gösta (Peter Dalle), a charismatic windmill of a man who rules the staff with an iron fist. Soon enough, Gösta turns Martin into his personal gofer, which isn’t an easy job, since Gösta appears to have business (and social) interests all over the region. Plus, the restaurant is the centrepiece for, well, an alternative mode of commerce. The bond between Martin and Gösta gradually deepens, but as the summer winds down it becomes clear that the depth of their friendship is about to be tested.

Based on an infamous criminal case, Behind Blue Skies is rich in detail, with a bounty of intriguing characters and a genuine feel for the period and its possibilities. (The prologue features an interview with a very young Björn Borg.) Yet perhaps the best thing about the film is the way it turns a vibrant coming-of-age tale into a broader narrative which gracefully captures a nation’s loss of innocence. –TIFF