Theatrical. I dont feel the characters. Feels like a Swedish play and not a film. Doesn't feel natural at all sadly. And I mean the acting. What else can one say to make this review long enough. Wish someone would make a film like this with a bit more real feel to it. Feels more like they are squeezing out emotions instead of just being real.
4 Reviews
Love it or hate it
Lacrimosa23 October 2000
Yes, this is a movie that you either love or hate. I loved it, but my friends were sickened by it. It's a very strong love-story between Linus and Vanja, and as Vanja said it: "You are my perfect half and the mistake is that I was born as your sister". The lines are touching, and the actors are very good. The woman who wrote it was also very good, and I have a faint memory of this being her first movie.
But the incestuous theme disturbs many; the siblings loving each other, the mother wanting her son...If you can't watch such, then avoid this movie! But it sure is one of my favorites...
But the incestuous theme disturbs many; the siblings loving each other, the mother wanting her son...If you can't watch such, then avoid this movie! But it sure is one of my favorites...
Can love be wrong?
wavemaninawe12 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I caught wind of this play a few years ago and had planned on watching it, but then got sidetracked by other matters. Cue me finding the filmed for TV adaption a few years later.
Syskonsalt (Sibling Salt) is a stage play by play writer Jonna Nordenskiöld which was filmed by director Linus Tunström. It deals with the highly controversial subject of an incestuous relationship between a teenage brother and sister.
During the brief introduction, it is established early that the two siblings Linus (played by Daniel Larsson) and Vanja (played by Lina Englund) are very close out of necessity. Flashbacks to their earlier childhood reveal that their father was absent and their mother who works nights at a hotel, would regularly leave them unattended for long periods with only each other for company.
Moving on to the present day, 19 year old Linus is preparing for his driver's license exam as 17 year old Vanja comes into his room and offers to help him study. It is made clear that their relationship is somewhat out of the ordinary as Vanja climbs into bed with Linus and asks him to take off his shirt so that she can quiz him by tracing traffic signs on his naked back. Their mother, Eva (played by Chatarina Larsson) comes home abruptly and questions this scene which she finds odd, but doesn't pay particularly much mind to.
From there on, the theme is gradually build up through the everyday interaction between Linus and Vanja. An interaction which is laced with plenty of longing glances as well as sexual and romantic innuendos that are played off as jokes. There is an obvious unresolved sexual tension between the two that eventually reaches it's logical extreme as they both admit their long pent up feelings and have intercourse with each other.
This causes much distress as well as a deeper connection between the two who realize that their lives together can never again be the same.
First off, I would like to say that I found the acting to be terrific throughout parts of this film. Being a Swede and used to the Swedish tradition of acting, I commonly consider our actors to be stuck in theater mode and unable to handle the more subtle nuances of working in front of a camera. Not so much here.
Although I did find the first third playing out somewhat awkwardly, I can appreciate how difficult it must be to write a just but still dramatically captivating story on such a sensitive topic.
However, once Linus and Vanja have had their first sexual encounter the story finds it's ground. From that point I consider the pacing and ambiance to be spot on as they try to deal with the emotional aftermath of their actions.
The entire story involves only three people and takes place within the confines of their home. As such it is very minimalistic and depends entirely on the portrayal of the characters in order to carry it's atmosphere. In that regard, I think the film did admirably. I felt that the plight of Linus and Vanja was fleshed out well. Although Eva (the mother) being a peripheral character, had a small part in the film, I also think she made a big impact for the part she played.
There are some things that didn't sit well with me though. Not from a moral point of view, but rather because I felt that those decisions hurt the ambiance and momentarily brought me out of the story. Most notably is the way that a choice few of the young lovers' comments of affection are downright creepy and seem out of character to how they are otherwise portrayed. With those details out of the way, I think this would have earned a full rating from me.
Considering the controversial subject matter, it is hardly surprising if Syskonsalt has been shunned by many potential viewers. But I think that it is a very worthwhile watch regardless of your ethical orientation on the matter. The behavior of the siblings is neither condemned nor condoned and the film never tries to tell you what to think of them. Rather it is at it's most basic level, a story of a tragic couple who share a passionate love against impossible odds. And it is a very captivating one at that.
Syskonsalt (Sibling Salt) is a stage play by play writer Jonna Nordenskiöld which was filmed by director Linus Tunström. It deals with the highly controversial subject of an incestuous relationship between a teenage brother and sister.
During the brief introduction, it is established early that the two siblings Linus (played by Daniel Larsson) and Vanja (played by Lina Englund) are very close out of necessity. Flashbacks to their earlier childhood reveal that their father was absent and their mother who works nights at a hotel, would regularly leave them unattended for long periods with only each other for company.
Moving on to the present day, 19 year old Linus is preparing for his driver's license exam as 17 year old Vanja comes into his room and offers to help him study. It is made clear that their relationship is somewhat out of the ordinary as Vanja climbs into bed with Linus and asks him to take off his shirt so that she can quiz him by tracing traffic signs on his naked back. Their mother, Eva (played by Chatarina Larsson) comes home abruptly and questions this scene which she finds odd, but doesn't pay particularly much mind to.
From there on, the theme is gradually build up through the everyday interaction between Linus and Vanja. An interaction which is laced with plenty of longing glances as well as sexual and romantic innuendos that are played off as jokes. There is an obvious unresolved sexual tension between the two that eventually reaches it's logical extreme as they both admit their long pent up feelings and have intercourse with each other.
This causes much distress as well as a deeper connection between the two who realize that their lives together can never again be the same.
First off, I would like to say that I found the acting to be terrific throughout parts of this film. Being a Swede and used to the Swedish tradition of acting, I commonly consider our actors to be stuck in theater mode and unable to handle the more subtle nuances of working in front of a camera. Not so much here.
Although I did find the first third playing out somewhat awkwardly, I can appreciate how difficult it must be to write a just but still dramatically captivating story on such a sensitive topic.
However, once Linus and Vanja have had their first sexual encounter the story finds it's ground. From that point I consider the pacing and ambiance to be spot on as they try to deal with the emotional aftermath of their actions.
The entire story involves only three people and takes place within the confines of their home. As such it is very minimalistic and depends entirely on the portrayal of the characters in order to carry it's atmosphere. In that regard, I think the film did admirably. I felt that the plight of Linus and Vanja was fleshed out well. Although Eva (the mother) being a peripheral character, had a small part in the film, I also think she made a big impact for the part she played.
There are some things that didn't sit well with me though. Not from a moral point of view, but rather because I felt that those decisions hurt the ambiance and momentarily brought me out of the story. Most notably is the way that a choice few of the young lovers' comments of affection are downright creepy and seem out of character to how they are otherwise portrayed. With those details out of the way, I think this would have earned a full rating from me.
Considering the controversial subject matter, it is hardly surprising if Syskonsalt has been shunned by many potential viewers. But I think that it is a very worthwhile watch regardless of your ethical orientation on the matter. The behavior of the siblings is neither condemned nor condoned and the film never tries to tell you what to think of them. Rather it is at it's most basic level, a story of a tragic couple who share a passionate love against impossible odds. And it is a very captivating one at that.
Gut-Wrenching Drama of Prohibited Nature
bengssimon17 February 2021
This movie is about the underlying, structural and dark grounds on which family perpetuates a human being and its potential, and the inevitability of destructive consequense when mixed with social aspects. It's really about the different personas and roles human beings have in this mysterious world. The portayal of incest is just one of many things you could put on screen here, but wow, does it make for unnerving and powerful viewing.
As a person you are formed out of whatever happens inside your family. Here, the mother had constantly been working because the dad had left and that left the siblings to learn and come to conclusions about everything together. It's the mixture of natural laws and societal flaws that has created their attraction aswell as the unbearable feelings of shame.
When the siblings commit their feelings towards each other, it is extremely powerful. What they together realize is that the love they share is the one constant in their lives. The actors are sensational and a factor of why is that they portray "normal" teenagers, people we all see everyday. What is so strong is that every human being has this passion that has been created from how they've grown up, whatever it may be, but socially what they do is completely off-limits. They try but inevitably can't escape from what formed them. They can't escape from themselves. If there ever was true love...
Now, the fact that they suffer so incredibly is something that shows the societal lack of sympathy for identity. They know they can't keep doing it but since it's been formed from when they were babies they're helpless to the fact that it's unchangeable. When it's just them together they begin to give up the illusion of the free will, and dare I say it, they are extremely content together. Controversially, a relationship between people who've shared each other during the years that's shaped them, creates an almost optimal way of living. There is inevitable things about us as humans that we cannot change. If we grow up like Vanja and Linus does, we end up just as they do. Now, Cue Mother.
If you started to warm to the fact of them being together I think that the film wanted you to. What they have together is in a clichéd way to put it, "Pure". Completely sheltered from "them". The mother is off to Greece for a week and completely isolated from society the siblings can love each other. When the mother comes back and sees them together in bed it all falls apart. Mother plays 2 roles here. Firstly, she has been more of a spectator of them growing up and she represents every other spectator and incidentally "them". The shame now overflows the siblings and everything that was silent and pure is now filled with whispers and screams. Mother gasps for air as she is so afraid "they" will find out and claims it's "not her fault". She has absolutely no understanding of herself so she can't make out why it could happen. This results in her almost shapeshifting into her most natural form, which is to try to be with her closest male suitor and shutting down every other rival. It makes for extremely unsettling viewing to see her lock Vanja in her room and try to seduce Linus.
I think this movie tries to tell us to first of all, take care of our family and children when they grow up. But ultimately what people need is to know themselves. The siblings both know that they're in love but wish that they weren't siblings, which is exactly why they are in love. They get so beat down by the mother who represent all the factors that aren't able to create understanding, like jealosy, ignorance, selfishness, uninspiration and conservative values. How are they ever going to be ok again after this? Their ability to understand is undermined by all of these societal issues. When it was just them two together, they learned, understood and experienced something that was unchangeable in both of them. Everything else was simply distraction. So much of what mankind has created has ended up getting rid of the reality of ourselves. Even if the siblings hadn't yet found a full understanding they had something that was truer than anything the mother and ultimately society stood for.
As a person you are formed out of whatever happens inside your family. Here, the mother had constantly been working because the dad had left and that left the siblings to learn and come to conclusions about everything together. It's the mixture of natural laws and societal flaws that has created their attraction aswell as the unbearable feelings of shame.
When the siblings commit their feelings towards each other, it is extremely powerful. What they together realize is that the love they share is the one constant in their lives. The actors are sensational and a factor of why is that they portray "normal" teenagers, people we all see everyday. What is so strong is that every human being has this passion that has been created from how they've grown up, whatever it may be, but socially what they do is completely off-limits. They try but inevitably can't escape from what formed them. They can't escape from themselves. If there ever was true love...
Now, the fact that they suffer so incredibly is something that shows the societal lack of sympathy for identity. They know they can't keep doing it but since it's been formed from when they were babies they're helpless to the fact that it's unchangeable. When it's just them together they begin to give up the illusion of the free will, and dare I say it, they are extremely content together. Controversially, a relationship between people who've shared each other during the years that's shaped them, creates an almost optimal way of living. There is inevitable things about us as humans that we cannot change. If we grow up like Vanja and Linus does, we end up just as they do. Now, Cue Mother.
If you started to warm to the fact of them being together I think that the film wanted you to. What they have together is in a clichéd way to put it, "Pure". Completely sheltered from "them". The mother is off to Greece for a week and completely isolated from society the siblings can love each other. When the mother comes back and sees them together in bed it all falls apart. Mother plays 2 roles here. Firstly, she has been more of a spectator of them growing up and she represents every other spectator and incidentally "them". The shame now overflows the siblings and everything that was silent and pure is now filled with whispers and screams. Mother gasps for air as she is so afraid "they" will find out and claims it's "not her fault". She has absolutely no understanding of herself so she can't make out why it could happen. This results in her almost shapeshifting into her most natural form, which is to try to be with her closest male suitor and shutting down every other rival. It makes for extremely unsettling viewing to see her lock Vanja in her room and try to seduce Linus.
I think this movie tries to tell us to first of all, take care of our family and children when they grow up. But ultimately what people need is to know themselves. The siblings both know that they're in love but wish that they weren't siblings, which is exactly why they are in love. They get so beat down by the mother who represent all the factors that aren't able to create understanding, like jealosy, ignorance, selfishness, uninspiration and conservative values. How are they ever going to be ok again after this? Their ability to understand is undermined by all of these societal issues. When it was just them two together, they learned, understood and experienced something that was unchangeable in both of them. Everything else was simply distraction. So much of what mankind has created has ended up getting rid of the reality of ourselves. Even if the siblings hadn't yet found a full understanding they had something that was truer than anything the mother and ultimately society stood for.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
