Involuntary

Brilliant film by Ruben Östlund and the cast! This is sheer perfection from the first frame to the last one, and the battle for next year's Best Swedish Film Award seems to be decided. Here is the best Swedish picture in years. It displays in five parallel stories how people reject from speaking up when they have the opportunity, due to more or less rational fears, and once the right moment has slipped away it becomes multiply difficult later.

Most of the parts are played by actors unknown to me, and they are all fantastic. In every scene the dialogue is performed the way people actually speaks in real life (And I'm Swedish, I know what it should sound like.), it's believable and absorbing. Nowhere to be heard is the theatrical and stiff line delivery that so often haunts Swedish cinema. The images are often still in unorthodox angles, while people pass in and out. It is highly innovative and it works out extraordinarily well.

The film is filled with hilarious lines, but it is serious all the way, and the humour is of the kind that makes me shiver with embarrassment. It is downright painful to watch these awkward situations and know that I could so easily be a part of something similar in real life. Not least, the problems with partying and binging is displayed in a refreshingly non-romantic manner. It is all, simply, brilliant!

I was really surprised by this film. It consists of 5 independent stories and though they are completely different they share something common to human beings. Well "Short Cuts" was great and I can really recommend "Fyra nyanser av brunt" in the same genre. But "De ofrivilliga" has something extra. I bet you can recognize some of the awkward situation described in this film.

It's pretty annoying with the strange camera angles and it's a bit like the habit of using too many close-ups that some directors use. But to some extend it makes sense. You learn to focus on the situation and the interaction instead of the people in the scenes.

And I really must say that it's fantastic how a writer can invent the strange incidents in the film. I keep thinking - this must have happened for someone in real life. No one can have that wild an imagination.

For the last few months i've stumbled upon quite a few Swedish movies, and for me, personally, it's a grand discovery! I love and appreciate low budget movies. For me, producing more with less always seemed an outcome of cinematic expertise. That kind of Minimalism makes this movie great. The themes and situations displayed in this movie are so relatable, and i bet you'll find your self giggling (for a wide Spectrum of reasons: from sympathy to embarrassment). It's light and have a natural flow, the acting is very authentic and sensitive. The script is superb, and the camerawork also contributes to the "Ostlund experience", together forming an honourable picture.

Five independent stories which all possess an admirable wit and acuity. They all share one thing - the involved have to stand up for their own will and resist the so often overwhelming peer pressure that we all at some point has been the victim of.

Ruben Östlund has created a sleek, straight and accurate film where the acting is unbeatable. We have to be alert, listen and try to keep up with the sometimes very complicated plot. The camera is rolling and it allows all the involved to take all the space. The stories has a strange sense of normalcy on the surface, and the every day situations succeeds each other with finesse, perfectly knitted together until the end without any forced resolution or final connection. It is this kind of story I feel can be associated with Sweden. This may be our future culture imprint.

Ruben Östlund possesses a narration that grabs at his audience and he is not afraid to challenge. It is exciting despite unremarkable equality in the presentation, and the persons in the five stories, feel very real.

"De Ofrivilliga" presents a new take on movie-making I personally haven't seen before. Östlund basically uses nothing but still cameras that show the entirety of the scene from a distance or an angle that surprises you, never zooming in on the actors facial expressions. The theme is admittedly rather hard to explain; it handles the awkwardness that follow those defining moments where a small decision leads to growing consequences. It's an hilarious movie, dark and hopeful at the same time. You can tell Östlund has sharpened his pen since his previous feature movie, "Gitarrmongot". The dialogue balances so delicately on the thin line of becoming ridiculous or indifferent without ever falling over to either side. "De Ofrivlliga" craves your attention in order to mesmerize you the way it's meant to, and you will be required to give it. If you've ever seen and appreciated any of Roy Andersson's movies you'll love it.