Ville Andesons äventyr is just a kid being a brat for 40 minutes

If you are into those dusty silent comedies where a kid is basically a tiny agent of chaos, you will find some fun here.

But if you can’t stand black-and-white slapstick where the main joke is just 'child falls over,' you should probably stay far away. 🏃‍♂️

Ville Andesons äventyr is basically just a bunch of scenes of a kid named Ville being a total brat in 1920s Sweden.

Sune Holmqvist plays the kid, and man, he has this very mischievous energy that feels real, not like those overly polished stage kids you see in old movies.

The plot? There isn't really much of one, if I'm being honest.

It's more like a series of pranks and narrow escapes from people who want to yell at him.

I kept thinking about how much laundry people had to do back then because Ville is always getting into something messy or wet.

There is this one bit with a bucket that goes on a way too long, but the pay-off is okay-ish.

Gustaf Lövås is in this too, looking very young and very different from the roles he got later on.

It reminds me a bit of the energy in Playin' Hookey, but with more of that specific Swedish stoicism in the background.

The adults in this movie all look like they haven’t slept in about three years.

Maybe that was just the 1920s vibe, or maybe it was just the stress of working with a kid actor.

I noticed one guy in the background of a street scene who just stops and stares at the camera for a solid five seconds.

He looks so confused, like he is trying to figure out what a movie camera even is, which... he probably was. 🎥

The editing is a bit crunchy in places.

Sometimes it jumps from one prank to the next without telling you why we are suddenly at a completely different house.

It is not like The Iron Mule where there is a bit more of a 'journey' feel to the whole thing.

Here, Ville is just everywhere at once, like a ghost that only wants to trip you.

I think I liked the dog the most, honestly.

He is just following Ville around, probably hoping for a snack that never actually comes.

There is this moment where Ville hides behind a fence and the way he peeks out is actually pretty funny.

It is not 'laugh out loud' funny by today's standards, but you can see why people in 1923 thought it was a total riot.

The costumes are great, though.

Everyone is in these heavy, scratchy-looking wool suits even though it looks like it's the middle of summer.

I felt itchy just watching them run around in the sun.

It is definitely better than some other shorts from that era, like This Way Out, which feels way more staged and stiff.

Ville feels like a real kid who would actually break your window and then run away laughing his head off.

The writing by Anna Myrberg is simple, but it works for what it is trying to do.

It is just a slice of life from a time that feels like it happened on another planet.

Don't go in expecting some deep message about the human condition or childhood innocence.

He is just a naughty kid doing naughty things because he can.

The ending is just... there. It doesn't really wrap up or anything.

He just kind of exists until the the film runs out and the screen goes black.

I watched this on a rainy Tuesday and it fit the mood perfectly for me.

Nothing heavy, just some old-school Swedish mischief. 🇸🇪

Didja notice?

• The kid’s socks are always falling down. Literally every scene.
• There is a guy in a suit who almost trips over a dog in the background of the park scene.
• The title cards have some pretty cool hand-drawn art on the borders.
• That one lady's hat is so big I don't know how she sees where she is walking.
• The "special effects" for a splash of water are just... a bucket of water. No movie magic there.
• One scene cuts away so fast I think thier camera might have jammed.