Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival

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Wednesday, November 8----While Swedish film continues to be overshadowed by the dour poetics of its most famous filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, a new film from the country is an unexpected comedy of manners. EVERY OTHER WEEK is the result of the contributions of four directors, who mostly have a background in television commercials and music videos. With segments by Felix Herngren, Mans Herngren, Hannes Holm and Hans Ingemanssson, the film was born as an experiment, to see if it ws possible for four scriptwriters/diredctors to make one film, where two of them also have leading parts.

The four directors all have a similar background. Most of their work has been for television. All of them are middle-aged, divorced, with joint custody of their children. Two of the directors, Felix and Mans Herngren are real-life brothers, who play brothers on the screen, helping one another with changes brought about by divorce and separation from their children. The mix of fact and fiction, plus the summer in Stockholm locations, gives the film an added dimension of realism and realistic emotions.

In the film, a series of characters undergo serious life changes when love fails and new family relations need to be set in its wake. This essentially serious underpinning has been lightened with light-hearted comic touches, which include parodies of well-known television ads. The film has been a box office sensation in its native Sweden and is currently making the rounds of the US film festival circuit.

South Florida audiences have several opportunities in the coming days to sample this Swedish smorgasboard of comedy and drama with six screenings scheduled. The film has its US Premiere today at 3:30pm and again at 7:30pm at Las Olas Riverfront. The film also screens three times on Thursday, with showings at 1:30pm, 3:30pm and again at 7:30pm at Las Olas Riverfront. The final screening is on Friday with a 3:30pm showing at Las Olas Riverfront.

The film is also included in the group of FLIFF films coming to Key West next week, with showings on Saturday, November 18, 5:15pm and again on Sunday, November 19, 3:15pm, both at the Tropic Cinema.

For tickets: Go to the Festival website www.fliff.com or come to the theater box office.

Sandy Mandelberger
Online Festival Dailies Editor