Lamento
Director: Jöns Jönsson
DE, 2014, 84 min, Color, German/Swedish with English subtitles
Magdalena picks up her grand-son from piano lessons, eats dinner with his family, visits the bar. She unsuccessfully tries to sell her daughters dog, she consults a medium. Since Sara´s suicide, Magdalena shields herself from the pain and loss of her daughter, by immersing herself into rituals of everyday life. It is only when Sara´s ex-boyfriend comes to visit, that sorrow finally finds its way through denial, speachlessness and feelings of guilt.
Synopsis
Synopsis
Magdalena picks up her grand-son from piano lessons, eats dinner with his family, visits the bar. She unsuccessfully tries to sell her daughters dog, she consults a medium. Since Sara´s suicide, Magdalena shields herself from the pain and loss of her daughter, by immersing herself into rituals of everyday life. It is only when Sara´s ex-boyfriend comes to visit, that sorrow finally finds its way through denial, speachlessness and feelings of guilt.
Credits
Cast and Crew
Director: Jöns Jönsson
Cinematographer: Johannes M. Louis
Film Editor: Stefan Oliveira Pita
Sound: Alexandra Praet
Producers: Jost Hering, Maxim Juretzka
Production: BuntFilm, Berlin
Co-Production: Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen (HFF) „Konrad Wolf“, Potsdam-Babelsberg
Funding: Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
in association with: B-Reel Feature Films, StockholmCast:
Gunilla Röör as “Magdalena”
Hendrik Kraft as “Johannes”
Björn Andersson as “Sigge”
Elin Söderquist as “Lollo”
Sandra Huldt as “Anne”Biography
Biography
JÖNS JÖNSSON
was born in Stockholm in 1981. After school, he moved to Italy, before studying cultural studies in Lund. In 2006 he began his studies at film school HFF “Konrad Wolf” in Potsdam-Babelsberg. He has written and directed numerous plays and short films, most noteably “Havet” (2009, Best short film at Timishort Film festival; Berlinale 2009) and “Wertingen” (2011, Festival du Cinema de Brive). „Lamento“ is his graduation film and feature film debut.
Regiestatement
Regiestatement
What brought you to Berlin ?
Nine years ago, the plan was to go to Berlin, learn some German, live on Swedish student loan and discover the city. The idea to apply at the film school actually came much later.What brought you to this story?
I encountered enough people, who were affected by suicide in one way or the other. To tell a story about a mother, whose child has killed itself, was interesting, because it makes for a pretty hopeless starting point for a main character, which I thought was unusual for a character in a movie.Why is LAMENTO set in Sweden and not Berlin, or Germany?
The Swedes are a small, northern people, with clean facades, what morality, self-perception and social norms are concerned. Dealing with the difficulties of talking about such matters as suicide, a story of guilt and shame, I'd say, is more effective in such an environment. The more solid the facade, the higher the fall.What about the cast?
I was lucky with all the actors on this film. Gunilla Röör is one of Sweden´s best actresses. She has an unbelievable energy and knows her character inside out. A few times, I didn´t even realize the entirety of her accuracy and the details in her performance, until I rewatched it in the editing room. And luckily I did not listen to the stupid film school rule of not ever shooting with kids or animals. I´ve had very talented individuals in the film and I am very happy with all of them.How did the partnership with the production company BuntFilm came about?
I met Jost Hering four years ago. We quickly decided we wanted to work together and when I came up with the idea for „Lamento“, he thought it was very good. He brought in his producing partner Maxim Juretzka, who also quickly came on board.Festivals
Festivals
2013 - First Steps Award - Best Film
2014 - Berlin International Film Festival, Germany
2014 - New Directors New Films, Portugal
2014 - Shangai International Film Festival, China
2014 - Sehsüchte Internationales Studentfilmfestival - Bester Schnitt
2014 - Cine Campus International Student's Film Festival, USA
2014 - Kitzbühel Film Festival, Österreich
2014 - Internationales Filmfest Potsdam, Deutschland
2014 - São Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil
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