28 minutes of pure Swedish despair that'll wreck your whole week.
The Clearing is the story of amphetamine abuser Kia and her struggle for a decent existence.
Acting
Levanon's raw, trembling physicality carries every frame.
Direction
Grönlund's documentary background bleeds into unflinching realism.
Cinematography
Cramped Swedish interiors that suffocate without pity.
Director
Peter Grönlund
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Grönlund spent years documenting Swedish addicts before fictionalizing their stories; Kia's morning routine mirrors real cases he witnessed.
Part of Sweden's 'new wave' poverty cinema that rejected the country's global image of social utopia—this film helped expose hidden homelessness in Stockholm.
SE
