Trädgårdsgatan

Garden Lane has been on my radar for some time. Simon J. Berger never fails to impress and Karin Franz Körlof went on an extreme weight loss programme to play addict Linda authentically.

This is a thought-provoking, moving and at times painful watch of toxic love that two damaged people have for each other. That they recognise this and try (sometimes failing) to do something about it, I found very affecting - not least because of the impact it has on their children, Eric and Elin, through whose eyes, as adults, this story is told.

I thought Simon and Karin made Peter and Linda very real. The last twenty minutes especially are powerfully moving with Eric and Elin, now adults, piecing together their final memories of their childhoods. You may need tissues.

This is not a huge budget film with a big cast, and it does not need to be. It is an honest, stripped bare look at 2 people who, for a short time, tried to make a family work with their respective children. The film is based on the childhood memories of one of the producers. It is beautifully made, powerfully acted and yes, recommended.