Three Swedish actresses work as waitresses in Oslo one summer. They use all their wits to get as much tips as possible. They plan to start a company and buy a house. They come to be our guides in the film and reveal a world of people doing things they don't want to do, playing roles they don't know why they're playing.
Mariken Halle first asked around her neighborhood if she might make a school film about one of her neighbors. When that didn’t work, she and her small film crew began addressing people on the streets of Göteborg. How would they imagine a movie that they would want to star in? The results were far from fantastic – she encountered dismissively amused responses and boring, confused ideas. But some of the people she talked to were different. They try getting into their “life role” – and she begins to direct them....
In Bodén’s hometown of Jämtland, staying put is anathema: speaking to a group of kids about this drive to leave home, she is told by a male student that only “stupid girls” would stay there any longer than is necessary. This hits home with Bodén, who was prompted to her research here by a conversation in which her sister declared, “I don’t think I’m worth more than Jämtland.” After her initial dismissiveness of her sister’s statement, she started to second-guess the conversation and her own ingrained notions of what it meant. This film is about Bodén’s search for understanding.
Three different types of people end up at the same table at the same bar. Stefan will talk about Thailand. Jeppe will talk about his son. And Mia will write everything down. A film about how different interests crashes, meet and crash again.
A call center in Stockholm marks the starting point for a poetic and reflective documentary about what it means to live off the forest. With a unique tone and exquisite storytelling, director Clara Bodén explores the escalating distance between city and countryside.
