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Film Archive

A Rational Solution

Horizons 2010 / Det enda rationella / Sweden, Germany, Italy, Finland 2009

This feature debut by Jörgen Bergmark based on a brilliant script from Jens Jonsson offers a refreshing and highly original take on an unusual love quadrangle. Erland and Sven-Erik are best mates, but a problem arises when Erland falls in love with his friend’s wife Karin, so he suggests that both couples live together under one roof. The film, distinguished for its superb cast, was premiered in Venice in 2009.

A Rational Solution A Rational Solution

Synopsis

Erland and his best mate Sven-Erik live in a small industrial town in north Sweden. Both are happily married and contented. In their spare time, Erland and his wife May run a "counselling course” in the local church, a discussion forum for everyone who aspires to the perfect relationship they themselves enjoy based on mutual respect, understanding and an awareness that all problems must be discussed openly. Erland himself has to confront a potentially thorny problem when he falls in love with Sven-Erik’s wife, Karin. Erland’s next, utterly rational step is to suggest that all four should talk about it and consider his plan, in his view the only viable solution: the four of them should live under one roof together according to ten rules which they would draw up themselves. This unconventional experiment sends shockwaves through the entire small-town community. How far are our heroes prepared to go in the name of love? Will fiery passion triumph over years of carefully nurtured marriage? This wonderfully written piece with superb performances was premiered in Venice during Critics’ Week in 2009.

About the film

104 min / Color, 35 mm

Director Jörgen Bergmark / Screenplay Jens Jonsson / Dir. of Photography Anders Bohman / Music Nathan Larson / Editor Mattias Morheden / Producer Helena Danielsson / Production Hepp Film / Cast Rolf Lassgård, Pernilla August, Stina Ekblad, Claes Ljungmark, Magnus Roosmann / Contact The Match Factory

About the director

Jörgen Bergmark

Jörgen Bergmark (b. 1964, Sundvall, Sweden) studied at the University of Stockholm and then worked in theatre, film and television. He gained considerable recognition for the comedy by Bent Hamer Kitchen Stories (Salmer fra kjokkenet, KVIFF 2003), on which he was co-scriptwriter and co-producer. He directed and wrote the short feature A Love Affair (En kärleksaffär, 2002), which was nominated for a Guldbagge Award, Sweden’s national film prize. He also made the short films Time Out (Vad ska du ut och göra?, 2005) and Mentor (2006). He works with Swedish television as a screenwriter and director. He produced Jens Jonsson’s short Linerboard, screened at, among others, the KVIFF and the Rotterdam IFF in 2006 and, in turn, Jonsson wrote the script for Bergmark’s feature debut A Rational Solution.

Contacts

The Match Factory
Domstrasse 60, 50668, Cologne
Germany
Phone: +49 221 539 7090
E-mail: [email protected]

Guests

Gunnar Almér
Film Institution Rep.

Jörgen Bergmark
Film Director

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