Charlotte Löwensköld: A 1930s Swedish Drama That Feels Surprisingly Real

If you are wondering whether to put this on tonight, it really depends on if you like old-school drama. People who love family secrets and quiet, intense acting will get a kick out of it. If you want something fast-paced, you will probably hate how much time they spend just talking in rooms.

It is based on a Selma Lagerlöf story, so you know the emotions are going to be a bit heavy. The whole movie revolves around Charlotte and Karl-Arthur, who are in love but also related, which is... awkward to say the least.

Karl-Arthur is one of those characters who is hard to root for. He is very religious and very stubborn, and honestly, he treats Charlotte pretty poorly for most of the film.

But the real star for me was the mother, played by Pauline Brunius. She has this way of looking at people that makes you want to hide under a table.

There is a scene where she is just sitting there, watching them, and you can practically feel the air getting cold. It reminded me of the heavy atmosphere in The Passion Play, but without the biblical stuff.

I noticed the camera sometimes stays on a character's face for way too long. Like, five seconds after they finish talking, the lens is still just there, staring at them. It makes the whole thing feel a bit more raw and less like a polished Hollywood movie.

The sets are a bit stiff, and sometimes you can tell they are on a stage. But the way they use shadows in the hallways makes the house feel like a character itself. 🏠

I think the movie gets better once you stop waiting for something big to happen. It is more about the small ways people hurt each other with words.

The pacing is a bit weird, kind of like The Jungle, where some parts fly by and others feel like they take an hour. I found myself checking the time once or twice during the middle section.

There is this one guy, I think it was Urho Somersalmi, who has such a dramatic way of walking. He enters every room like he’s about to announce a war.

One thing that was really strange was the sound. Since it was 1930, the voices sometimes sound like they are coming from a tin can. It actually adds to the creepy vibe of the family home.

If you have seen Iris, you might recognize that same feeling of a woman trying to find her way in a world that wants her to stay quiet. Charlotte isn't just a victim, though; she has some fire in her.

Things I noticed:

• The way the mother's lace collar looks like it is choking her.
• That one scene in the garden where the wind is blowing way too hard for a romantic moment.
• How Karl-Arthur looks like he hasn't slept in three years.
• The incredibly long pauses between sentences that make you think the film froze.

It is not a perfect movie, and the ending feels a bit rushed compared to the rest of it. They build up all this tension and then it just kind of... ends.

Still, for a movie this old, the psychological stuff is actually pretty smart. It’s not just a boring period piece; it’s a look at a toxic family that could happen today.

It’s definitely a better sit than The Prince of Avenue A if you want something with more meat on the bones. Just don't expect a happy, sunshine-filled ending. 🌧️

I’m glad I watched it, even if Karl-Arthur made me want to yell at the screen a few times. Sometimes you just want to see a well-acted mess.