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Involuntary (film)
Encyclopedia
Involuntary is a 2008 Swedish film
directed by Ruben Östlund
described as "a tragic comedy
or comic tragedy
." It features five parallel stories with human group behaviour
as the common theme. The film is notable for its long takes with no cuts within the scenes. This is related to Östlund's background as a skiing film director, where a cut would only indicate failure. The longest scene lasts for seven minutes.
The film received mainly positive reviews. It has won several awards at international film festivals and was nominated for five Swedish Guldbagge Award
s including Best Film, but didn't win in any category. It has also been selected as Sweden's submission for Best Foreign Language Film
at the 82nd Academy Awards
.
Filming started in the summer 2006. One scene per day was shot during the production, with around 20 takes for each scene, although some scenes demanded far more. The independent stories were shot one at a time, meaning that many of the actors never met before the premiere.
in the section Un certain regard
.
, who rated the film 2 out of 5 and dismissed it as "Roy Andersson
light."
Cinema of Sweden
Swedish cinema is known as producing many critically acclaimed movies, and during the 20th century was the most prominent of Scandinavia. This is largely due to the popularity and prominence of the directors Ingmar Bergman, Victor Sjöström, and more recently Lasse Hallström and Lukas...
directed by Ruben Östlund
Ruben Östlund
Ruben Östlund is a Swedish film director. Originally a director of skiing film, he has directed three feature-length fiction films: The Guitar Mongoloid from 2004, Involuntary from 2008 and Play, scheduled to be released in 2011.-Career:Ruben Östlund started as a director of skiing films in the...
described as "a tragic comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
or comic tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
." It features five parallel stories with human group behaviour
Group behaviour
Group behaviour in sociology refers to the situations where people interact in large or small groups. The field of group dynamics deals with small groups that may reach consensus and act in a coordinated way...
as the common theme. The film is notable for its long takes with no cuts within the scenes. This is related to Östlund's background as a skiing film director, where a cut would only indicate failure. The longest scene lasts for seven minutes.
The film received mainly positive reviews. It has won several awards at international film festivals and was nominated for five Swedish Guldbagge Award
Guldbagge Award
The Guldbagge Award is an official Swedish film award awarded annually since 1964 by the Swedish Film Institute.-Etymology:Guldbagge is the Swedish name for Cetonia aurata, a beetle also known as rose chafer. The name of the award could also be interpreted as a play on the Swedish word skalbagge,...
s including Best Film, but didn't win in any category. It has also been selected as Sweden's submission for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 82nd Academy Awards
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
.
Production
The work with the script started already in autumn 2004, when Östlund and Hemmendorff started to write down vignettes on the theme, inspired by or taken directly from their own experiences.Filming started in the summer 2006. One scene per day was shot during the production, with around 20 takes for each scene, although some scenes demanded far more. The independent stories were shot one at a time, meaning that many of the actors never met before the premiere.
Release
The film premiered on 19 May 2008 at the Cannes Film Festival2008 Cannes Film Festival
The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 14 to May 25, 2008. In addition to films selected for competition this year, major Hollywood productions such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Kung Fu Panda had their world premieres at the festival.The British press...
in the section Un certain regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
.
Critical reception
The general reception in Swedish press was positive. As of 14 July 2009 it had an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 based on 24 reviews at the Swedish-language review site Kritiker.se, making it the highest rated Swedish film from 2008. An exception was Jan-Olov Andersson at AftonbladetAftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
, who rated the film 2 out of 5 and dismissed it as "Roy Andersson
Roy Andersson
Roy Andersson is a Swedish film director, best known for his films A Swedish Love Story and Songs from the Second Floor. More than any other, Songs from the Second Floor succeeded in cementing his personal style — a style characterized by long takes, absurdist comedy, stiff caricaturing of...
light."
Awards and honours
| Award | Category | Name | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels European Film Festival | Golden Iris | Ruben Östlund | |
| Geneva Cinéma Tout Ecran Cinéma Tout Ecran Cinéma Tous Ecrans , is an international film festival held annually in the city of Geneva, Switzerland since 1995. The current Artistic and General Director is Claudia Durgnat.... |
Best Director | Ruben Östlund | |
| Guldbagge Awards | Best Film | Erik Hemmendorff | |
| Best Direction | Ruben Östlund | ||
| Best Screenplay | Ruben Östlund and Erik Hemmendorff | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Cecilia Milocco | ||
| Best Cinematography | Marius Dybwad Brandrud | ||
| Mar del Plata Film Festival Mar del Plata Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina... |
Special Jury Award | Ruben Östlund | |
| Miami International Film Festival Miami International Film Festival The Miami International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Miami, Florida in the late winter. The film festival is sponsored by the Miami Film Society, which has been around since 1983.... |
FIPRESCI Award | ||
| Milan Film Festival | Special Mention | Ruben Östlund | |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January... |
FIPRESCI Award | ||
| Stockholm International Film Festival Stockholm International Film Festival The Stockholm International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year in the second half of November... |
Audience Award | Ruben Östlund | |
| Best Screenplay | Ruben Östlund and Erik Hemmendorff |