''Children's Island'' () is a Swedish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

which was released to cinemas in Sweden on 25 December 1980, co-written and directed by Kay Pollak, starring Thomas Fryk and

Ingvar Hirdwall Lars Ingvar Hirdwall (5 December 1934 – 6 April 2023) was a Swedish actor. In Sweden he is best known for his role in the Martin Beck film series; internationally he was perhaps best known for his role as the lawyer Dirch Frode in the ''Mille ...

. It is based on the novel of the same name by

P. C. Jersild Per Christian Jersild, better known as ''P. C. Jersild'', (born 1935) is a Sweden, Swedish author and physician. He also holds an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine at Uppsala University from 22 January 2000, and another one in engine ...

. Filming took place between July and October 1979. It won Sweden's most prestigious film prize, the ''Guldbagge'', when it was released in 1980 and was Sweden's official selection for the

54th Academy Awards The 54th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1981 and took place on March 29, 1982, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. During the ceremony, AMP ...

. The film became controversial in Australia, being banned in 2014, over thirty years after its original release.

Plot

The story is set in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

where 11-year-old Reine is on the verge of puberty and afraid of sexual maturity. He lives in a suburb with his single mother who sends him to one of the traditional Swedish summer camps which were common at the time of the setting and were managed by the cities for children in need of visiting the countryside. The title of the film refers to an island that is home to many such camps. His mother then vacations on her own, but in fact Reine never goes to the camp. Instead he spends the summer exploring the city of Stockholm on his own, where he meets several strange adults.

Cast

* Tomas Fryk as Reine Larsson *

as Stig Utler * Anita Ekström as Harriet Larsson *

Börje Ahlstedt Nils Börje Ahlstedt (born 21 February 1939) is a Swedish actor who has worked extensively with the world-famous director Ingmar Bergman in films like ''Fanny and Alexander'' (1982), ''The Best Intentions'' (1992), ''Sunday's Children'' (1992) a ...

as Hester * Lars-Erik Berenett as Esbjörn *

Hjördis Petterson Hjördis Olga Maria Petterson (17 October 1908 – 27 May 1988) was a Swedish actress. She appeared in more than 140 films. She was born in Visby, Sweden and died in Stockholm. She had one child with her first husband, composer Olle Lindholm ...

as Olga *

Sif Ruud Sif Einarsdotter Ruud Fallde born Sif Einarsdotter Ruud (6 May 1916 – 15 August 2011), best known as Sif Ruud, was a Swedish film actress. Born in Stockholm to Einar Ruud and Inez Engström, she began her career in 1938, and appeared in 14 ...

as Mrs. Bergman-Ritz * Lena Granhagen as Helen * Majlis Granlund as Lotten * Malin Ek as Kristina * Maud Sjökvist as Maria * Hélène Svedberg as Nora

Reception

Awards

The movie was Kay Pollak's first commercial success, and won the awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor (Hirdwall) at the 17th Guldbagge Awards. In 1981 it was entered into the 31st Berlin International Film Festival. The film was also selected as the Swedish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the

, but was not accepted as a nominee.Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

References

External links