Synopsis
The story of director Suzanne Osten's mother Gerd (Malin Ek) is told in this film set against the backdrop of a neutral Sweden in World War II, and the comings and goings of creative talents as they develop their own visions and capacities. Osten's mother had always wanted to produce a film, and although the inspiration was there after a 1939 meeting with Jean-Louis Barrault in Paris, even advice from notables such as Berthold Brecht (though insensitively given) and love affairs that offered some spiritual encouragement, could not stem the gradual and inexorable erosion of her mental stability. By 1944, Gerd was ill enough to be diagnosed as insane. As Gerd destabilizes, her mental afflictions are called forth in avant-garde, surreal visions that move in and out of the reality that carries the woman forward each day.
Director Biography
Suzanne Osten is a director, filmmaker and writer.
In 1975 she founded the world-leading theatre for children and young people Unga Klara, a place for artistic research within drama, focusing on the lives of children and young people.
Her best known films, for which she won Guldbagge Awards, are: Mamma, Bröderna Mozart and Skyddsängeln – which was selected for Un Certain Regard at Cannes 1990.
In 2009 Suzanne did not only produce a play but a documentary, research and a book about infant’s relationship to art, called Baby Drama, which arouse great international interest. Moreover, Suzanne has been awarded an honorary medal from the Swedish government for excellent artistic achievements in Swedish film and drama. Suzanne is current as ambassador for the section of children’s film at the Swedish Film institute.
Suzanne Osten