Darling

2007, Johan Kling, Sweden, 94 min.

With Michelle Meadows, Michael Segerström

Johan Kling became Sweden’s hottest young director with this first feature, which led the pack with six nominations for Sweden’s top film award, the Golden Beetle. The film’s cool yet compassionate tone is reflected in its pairing of two characters from opposite ends of the age and emotional spectrums. Eva (Meadows in an acclaimed performance), stylish, sulky, and self-centered, can’t hold a job or a boyfriend despite her looks and youth, while Bernhard (Segerström), divorced, downsized, and goodhearted, is considered too old for the job market. They both end up flipping burgers at McDonald’s, and their dissimilar lives intersect...for a while. In Swedish with English subtitles. 35mm widescreen print courtesy of the Swedish Film Institute. (MR)