A Swedish prison romance between a snus thief and a Balkan torturer—what could go wrong?
Ah, Sweden. Prosperity. Tolerance and equality. ABBA, social democracy and clean fresh air and... snus - the superstrong smokeless tobacco that is forbidden all over Europe. A harmless alternative to smoking according to some. Others might disagree... Things seem to be looking up for small time thief Karsten Lammstrom. His prison time is coming to an end. On the outside waits Annika, his wife to be, and a livelihood: a sightseeing-boat in the Swedish archipelago. What Karsten doesn't need is a Balkan warlord arriving to the prison; notorious Serbian torturer, Zlatko Pavic. When Zlatko takes an interest in Karstens habit to use snus, things take an unexpected turn of events. Karsten ends up facing a grueling moral dilemma.
Acting
Boustedt and Plester's crackling, uneasy chemistry.
Direction
Tight 28-minute arc with zero fat.
Writing
Snus as plot device—bizarrely brilliant.
Director
Bengt Persson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Snus is banned in the EU except Sweden, which negotiated an exemption—a perfect metaphor for the film's themes of loopholes and moral gray zones.
Tim Plester learned basic Serbian for the role; his improvised humming of Balkan folk songs in one scene was unscripted.
SE
