Swedish director has produced some of the best LGBT+ short films of recent years. Now, his feature debut Are We Lost Forever has been released by Peccadillo Pictures (read my review here). As part of its release, his collection of short films are being released together alongside it, including No More We (above), the first incarnation of the film that would become his feature debut. Take a look at each of the films below:
NO MORE WE (2018)
Starring: Jonathan Andersson, Björn Elgerd
Director: David Färdmar
No More We depicts the end of a relationship, where one of the fiancées is ready for it to end and the other is absolutely not. All set inside their apartment, we see tensions brew and emotions laid bare as they prepare to separate for good. Slow-paced and angst-filled, it’s a painful watch for anyone who has been through something similar. Its leads do sturdy work in depicting the complexities of the ending of a relationship where one has simply fallen out of love.
MY NAME IS LOVE (2008)
Starring: Adam Lundgren, Jonas Rimeika, Alicia Vikander
Director: David Färdmar
A young man leaves his friends on a night out and encounters a man on the street. Agreeing to go back to his house, as they begin to get frisky he hides that he’s never been with a man before, but things begin to take a nasty turn. What follows is a fairly brutal depiction of rape, which is not for the faint-hearted. Based on a true story, this is a difficult and unpleasant watch as we’re subjected to a blow by blow account of this horrendous crime. Featuring a supporting role from a young Alicia Vikander, this will live with you long after the credits roll.
A STING OF MAUD (2011)
Starring: Lisa Linnertorp, Reine Brynolfsson, Sven Strömersten-Holm
Director: David Färdmar
Maud has grown up an orphan, living a life of emotional repression and stunted social niceties. She lives in a boarding house, where the fantasy world of her mind collides with reality as she becomes fixated on the intellectual but older Mr Eldmann. As a result of her encounters with him - both real and imaginary - she starts to enact her dysfunctional ideas of sexuality, with the lines between real life and her dreams completely blurred. A film that perfectly captures the uneasy balance between sex and etiquette, Maud is a fabulously idiosyncratic lead, who is perfectly presented on the outside and completely broken within.
WE COULD BE PARENTS (2016)
Starring: Björn Elgerd. Directors: Björn Elgerd, David Färdmar.
This remarkable short initially appears to be just a monologue to camera, before slowly revealing unusual elements both inside and outside the frame. The monologue itself is an stimulating take on gay parenting, but the film’s real strength is when it starts using its single-take format to play tricks on the viewer. This is based around a tremendously simple idea, but is very effectively executed and the impact of its last minute is fantastically cinematic and a brilliant use the technology of cinema.
UK Release: The David Färdmar Collection is available as part of the release of Are We Lost Forever on DVD and On Demand from 18th January 2021, by Peccadillo Picture.