Ondskan (2003)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Mikael Håfström

Writers:

Jan Guillou (novel)
Hans Gunnarsson (writer)

Release Date:

26 September 2003 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It's time to take a stand.

Plot:

Erik is expelled from school for fighting. He ends up at a private boarding school where the senior students control the young ones...

Plot Keywords:

Boarding School | Domestic Violence | Nazi Teacher | Broken Arm | Humiliation

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Andreas Wilson	...	Erik Ponti
Henrik Lundström	...	Pierre Tanguy
Gustaf Skarsgård	...	Otto Silverhielm
Linda Zilliacus	...	Marja
Jesper Salén	...	Dahlén
Filip Berg	...	Johan
Fredrik af Trampe	...	von Schenken
Richard Danielsson	...	Karlberg
Martin Svane	...	Leffler
Rustan Blomqvist	...	Bergvall
Peter Eggers	...	Von Rosen
Per Westergren	...	Lewenheusen
Henrik Linnros	...	Beijer
Theodor Hoffsten	...	Lagerros
Sanna Mari Patjas	...	Stina (as Sannamari Patjas)

Also Known As:

Evil (Canada: English title) (festival title) (International: English title)
Ondskab (Denmark)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence/gore, language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

Sweden | Denmark

Language:

Swedish | Finnish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Iceland:12 | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | Australia:MA | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Filmhusateljéerna, Filmhuset, Svenska Filminstitutet, Gärdet, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Moviola Film och Television AB

Trivia:

The movie is based on a novel by Jan Guillou. Jan Guillou attended a boarding school himself when he was a teenager and the novel is partly based on his own experiences.

Goofs:

Continuity: It is sometime after Christmas when Erik is trying to see the Finnish girl for the last time but there are yellow and falling leaves visible behind him.

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Beyond the Limits of Cruelty

In Sweden, Erik Ponti (Andreas Wilson) is the son of a remiss mother, and his stepfather gives sadistic beatings on him, using the most futile pretexts, without any interference of his mother. His dysfunctional family makes him a very violent teenager, culminating with his expulsion from the public school system in Sweden, due to a fight and aggression against another pupil. His mother sells some belongings of her and sends him to the elitist private school of Stjärnberg, as his last chance to complete his basic education. However, behind the name of the expensive and conservative school, there is a code of (dis)honor among the students, where the younger and those who belong to the lower social classes are humiliated by the veterans and those who belong to the high social classes without any questioning of the director. Erik feels like in hell while studying in Stjärnberg.

"Evil" is a stunning movie, which shows the danger of the power in wrong hands. Indeed, it is a psychological study of violence, which leads to cruelty. It explains the social behavior of, for example, street children in Brazil, who are sent very young to state reformatories and become cruel criminals when adults. The story is very engaging and the performance of the cast is outstanding, highlighting Andreas Wilson and his greatest opponent, the sadistic Otto Silverhielm (Gustaf Skarsgard). This movie shakes the viewers and in the end, we are cheering to Erik's revenge, wishing him to kill his aggressors, in a total inversion of the moral values. The DVD released by the Brazilian distributor VF Vídeo Filmes shows also a total lack of respect with the Brazilian consumers: in the Extras, there is an interview in Swedish with the director Mikael Häfström and the making-of, both without sub-titles, as if Brazilian people could understand this language. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Evil – Raízes do Mal" ("Evil – Roots of Evil")