STORM

Sweden, 2005, 111 minutes, Colour.
Eva Rose, Eric Ericsson, Sofia Hvittfeldt.
Directed by Mans Marland and Bjorn Stein.

Storm is not exactly your typical Swedish film. Rather, this is a film for a younger audience interested in computer games as well as science fiction and science fantasy. It is similar in tone to some of the films emerging from Russia during the early part of the 21st century.

Storm begins as an action adventure in the X-Men? style. It then moves into the realm of comics, graphic novels and computer games. Underlying it, however, is a moral fable where a callous young man is guarded by an angel-type figure as well as tempted by a devil-like figure. It means that he has to face himself, go back into his past, understand himself, make moral choices. This means that the film is a morality play designed for a younger 21st century audience.

1.Audience interest in the film? Target audience? Comics and graphic novels? Computer games and Playstations? A morality play?

2.A film from Sweden, style, pace, images, locations, Stockholm and realism, the countryside, the stylised buildings, the games?

3.The title, the literal meaning of the storm, its striking Sweden, the television information, the passing of the storm? Lova and her character being like a storm? Its effect?

4.The prologue, Lova, the chase, the other girl, the box, Lova holding off the pursuers, covered in petrol, the threat of fire, her escape?

5.The transition to Donnie, self-centred, hedonistic, his voice-over and asking questions about the meaning of life, his relationship with his simple brother? Going out, on the town, drugs, drinking? The taxi, Lova suddenly taking over, the dangers, the pursuit? Going home, the shower, the puzzle, Lova coming to his house, her story about the box, the attack on his house by the diabolical figures? The going to the computer, the destination?

6.The computer game competition, a city in itself, darkness and light, the computer game players, the girl approaching Donnie, her being killed, the blood on him, the photo, his going to the police, the momentary imagination of what would happen to him if he was pursued, his talking with the police, escaping?

7.Lova, the box, urging him to go back to examine his life, the encounter with Helena when he was young, sexuality, drugs, the equivalent of rape, his shame? His brother, making him go into the shed, his brother’s fears, his father’s angry reaction, his visiting his brother, the question of who had died?

8.Lova, Donnie’s imagination of going to Cuba, the Cuban beach, the development of his self-knowledge? The devil figure, arriving on the beach, snapping his fingers, changing the locations, Donnie’s decision, his hitting Lova?

9.Going to his brother, going to the police, the Mormon’s arrival, his escape?

10.The background of the bars, his friends, the computer games, the friend and the hideout?

11.Lova, her being a saviour figure, her being captured, put in the cauldron, the burning? Donnie seeing the building in the comic book, the taxi driver helping him, his saving Lova, turning off the fire?

12.Bringing Lova to the hospital, seeing his friend, the attack in the hospital, his fears, his being about to be trampled, the devil vanishing, on the rooftop, Lova approaching?

13.Katta, his remembering the story, his sister, her glasses, the kids tormenting her, forcing him to trample on her glasses, her bewilderment, in the road, his beckoning to her, her being run over? His experiencing this, replaying it? His grief for Katta?

14.Lova, mission accomplished, her vanishing? Donnie’s future – more moral?

15.A contemporary treatment of moral issues, the hedonist, drugs? Comic books and games? Realities of life? Different dimensions? Morality, choices?