THE REAL ESTATE/TOPPING AV INGENTING
Sweden, 2018, 88 minutes, Colour.
Leonore Ekstrand, Christer Levin, Christian Saldert.
Directed by Mans Mansson, Axel Petersen.
This is a bizarre curiosity from Sweden.
While it might echo some of the contemporary problems about housing and accommodation in our cities, it is also the portrait of very selfish woman, greedy relatives, tenants in apartments who have got contracts under the carpet, problems in ownership and maintenance.
While, the film can be looked at with touches of realism, the whole visual impact of the film is very much stylised, light and shadow, bright colours, unexpected editing – which makes some of the impact rather unsteadying.
One of the reviewers at the Berlin film Festival commented on the audio clash of the musical score, commenting that it sounded as if it had been composed by “a psychopath with a huge arsenal of power tools�. Which actually is a fairly accurate comment about the audio impact and can serve as somewhat symbolic for the visual impact.
The focus is on Nojet, Leonore Ekstrand, a Swedish woman who has lived in Spain for decades, Living in absolutely hedonist life, luxury, husbands and lovers, completely self-absorbed. When she inherits an apartment block in Stockholm, she wants to sell it in order to get finance for her accustomed lifestyle. In one sequence, she visits the apartments, intruding into the world of the various inhabitants, finding that deals have been done for them to reside there. However, she is not interested in the least in the plight of anybody except herself.
She has a half brother who is also involved in the inheritance. His son is the maintenance manager of the apartment block and he and his father start to scheme against Nojet.
In the meantime, she carries on as usual back home in Sweden, taking a lover, planning how she might take possession of the block. Her main plan is to build an explosive and to cause havoc in the building. It is not entirely certain what she actually intends by this – but it happens.
However, the filmmakers think that that is enough to offer us and the film goes no further.
A bizarre tale, bizarrely told.
1. Sweden, the 21st century, buildings and accommodation? Satire, comedy? Real?
2. The surreal story, the visuals, colour, profiles, surreal suggestions? The musical score?
3. Nojet, her age, her situation, her father, half brother, nephew? The will, her waiting, the lawyer, the inheritance? Visiting the apartments, intruding into the clients’ apartments, questioning them, the issue of their having contracts, not having contracts? Wanting to sell the building? Confronting Chris, his lazy style? His father? Their attack on her, the violence?
4. The back of the lifestyle, 20 years in Spain, men and companions, the high life, hedonist? Her expectations of the apartment block? Her hedonism in Sweden, the men, sexuality, drinking…?
5. Her intentions, consultations, issues of the law? Are being bashed? The repercussions? A recovery?
6. The reading about the bombs, experimenting, preparing them?
7. Going to the apartment block, setting the bombs, sealing the apartments, getting the people out, the smoke and the fire? And the ending of the film… To what purpose?
