Elina (film)

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Movie
German title Elina
Original title Elina - Som om jag inte fanns
Näkymätön Elina
Country of production Finland , Sweden
original language Swedish , Finnish
Publishing year 2002
length 77 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Klaus Härö
script Kjell Sundstedt
production Lars Blomgren
music Tuomas Kantelinen
camera Jarkko T. Laine
cut Riitta Poikselkä
Tomas Täng
occupation

The children's film Elina is a Swedish-Finnish film drama from 2002. The literary film adaptation was based on the novel Som om jag inte fanns (As if I didn't exist) by Kerstin Johansson i Backe .

action

Subject

Nine-year-old Elina lived in a small village on the border between Finland and Sweden in the 1950s. The Swedish director Tora Holm strictly forbids speaking Finnish in the school. But many children from the Finnish minority cannot speak Swedish. That's why Elina stands up for her and is then harassed by the director.

introduction

Elina lives with her Finnish family in poor conditions on the edge of a moor . Elina's father died of tuberculosis . And Elina was also seriously ill from it. Elina misses her father who showed her the moor. And so, despite her mother's warnings, she often goes there alone because it makes her feel closer to her father.

Bulk

After Elina is well again, she can go to school again. The mother admonishes her not to speak Finnish at school. But many classmates don't speak Swedish yet, including Anton. When this Elina asks something in Finnish, he is not allowed to attend the school lunch as a punishment. Elina finds this unjust and goes on a confrontation course with the director, Tora Holm.

Elina feels sorry for Anton and gives him her lunch, which the director immediately stops. Elina then begins to boycott the school lunch. Tora Holm asks Elina to apologize to her, but Elina refuses to do so because, in her opinion, she has done nothing bad. Therefore, she continues to boycott school lunches.

Even the new young teacher Einar cannot change this situation at first. He tries to influence her with kindness so that Elina apologizes to Tora Holm. But Elina does not deviate from her position, especially since she is repeatedly provoked by her director. When Elina's mother finds out that Elina doesn't eat at school, she takes Elina to school so that she can apologize to Tora Holm. But Elina also refuses to do this.

Elina is now completely ignored by the headmistress in class and therefore takes refuge in the moor during class, where she feels so safe. But her self-confidence almost becomes her undoing. She doesn't pay attention where she steps and so sinks into the bog. After all, she is saved by her mother, of all people, who always warned her about the moor. It turns out that she had taught her father everything about the moor, as he didn't originally come from the area.

Enough

After mother and daughter have reconciled, Elina is still facing a conflict with her director. When she is sitting outside on the stairs again during school lunch, her sister, Anton, the teacher Einar and all the other classmates stand up demonstratively and sit down next to Elina. In the end, the headmistress also has to capitulate against the overwhelming power and apologizes to Elina for her unjust actions. Now Elina is forgiving and goes back to school, while Tora Holm remains seated on the stairs.

Summary

construction

The film sensitively describes the self-discovery process of the nine-year-old main character and combines this with political conflicts.

The relationship between Finland and Sweden, who both appear as co-producers in this film, was sometimes very tense. The living conditions of Swedes and Finns in the 1950s are shown very realistically in this film. While the Finnish small families still lived in great poverty, the clothes alone show that the Swedes are already doing better. For example, the young teacher can afford status symbols such as cars.

The portrayal of the meager living conditions of the Finns is reinforced by the moor landscape shots, which are shown by calm, drawn out camera shots.

people

Elina is a confident nine year old girl. The severe blow of fate that she suffered from the death of her father made her strong-willed very early on. In this way, in contrast to her classmates, she can fight against the unjust treatment and shows moral courage. She can mature even further in her development by realizing through her mother that all things can be different from what they initially appear.

Tora Holm is a pedagogue who wants to prepare children for life in the best possible way according to their ideas. Mastering the Swedish language is important for Finnish children in order to get by as a minority later on. So she does not act out of sheer malice. However, it is moving along well-worn tracks and it is not possible to cater to the special needs of the minority children.

Elina's mother has fitted into her role, which is assigned to her as a minority. She has recognized that knowledge such as safe handling in the moor will no longer be required in a changing society. So she tries to get her daughter to submit to the rulers. Ultimately, however, she also shows strength and helps Elina in her personal development.

Einar is committed to new educational ideas. He tries to cater to the special needs of Finnish children. But initially he lacks the moral courage to distinguish himself against the well-worn director. First of all, he helps Elina in her personal development, which in turn helps him to show moral courage.

Remarks

About the film

The screenwriter Kjell Sundstedt moved the original story of the novel Som om jag inte fanns (As if I didn't exist), which is set in the 1930s, to the 1950s. In addition, the story was changed. The adults were designed in a more differentiated manner, so as not to create a simple good-evil scheme, but to emphasize the motives of the people involved. In addition, the element of moral courage was worked out. The scriptwriter believes that solidarity is an important factor in a democracy and that this solidarity was lost in the course of the 1990s.

Finnish minority

In the 1950s, a particularly large number of Finns emigrated to Sweden and other countries looking for work . Finns emigrated to Sweden as early as the 14th century. In 1954 the free Nordic labor market was established, which led to a massive increase in emigration.

A total of 550,000 Finns emigrated to Sweden after the Second World War . About 300,000 Finns still live in Sweden today. They were recognized by Sweden as a permanent minority living in Sweden in the 1990s.

Reviews

“This Swedish-Finnish film production is very vivid and understanding about the way a child thinks. It takes place in the 1950s, when many small families were poor. The actors are very convincing in their roles and make you think. The landscape chosen by the director Klaus Harö fits very well with the mood of the film. ”
Alexandra Askoldova, Children's Film Festival 2003

“Once again the Scandinavians are proving that they are one step ahead when it comes to children's films. On the one hand, the film follows all the rules of a children's film, which means that some developments naturally appear predictable to the more mature audience, on the other hand, more difficult topics are addressed here. For example the missing father, with whom Elina has imaginary conversations in the dangerous (but beautifully recorded) moorland, the oppression of minorities or the financial hardship of the fatherless family. ”
Thomas Vorwerk, satt.org

“Elina was awarded the Transparent Bear for the best children's film by the children's jury , certainly not least because Härö always succeeds in loosening up the seriousness of the subject with humor. The award seems to be well deserved because of the fascinating landscape shots (camera: Jarkko T. Laine) and because of the excellent leading actors Natalie Minnevik, Bibi Andersson, Marjaana Maijala and Henrik Rafaelsen. ”
Gudrun Lübker-Suhre, infomedia-sh

“The film inspires with its excellent actors, above all Natalie Minnevik as Elina, who embodies rigor and intransigence despite her delicacy.”
Katrin Hoffmann, epd Film 4/2003

Awards

Elina received twelve international awards. Among other things, a glass bear at the Berlinale and a special prize from the German Children's Fund. In addition to eleven awards for director Klaus Härö , the Guldbagge Prize went to Bibi Andersson for portraying the director.

festival Award country year person
Berlinale 2003 Gläsener Bär
German Children's Fund special award		 Germany 2003 Klaus Härö
Chicago International Children's Film Festival Adult Jury Prize United States 2003 Klaus Härö
Ale cinema! CIFEJ price Poland 2003 Klaus Härö
Anjalankoski Film Sunday Anjalankoski Film Prize Finland 2004 Klaus Härö
Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film Festival Golden moon of Valencia Spain 2003 Klaus Härö
Cinekid movie Award Netherlands 2003 Klaus Härö
Buster International Children's Film Festival Special mention Denmark 2003 Klaus Härö
Guldbagge Guldbagge Sweden 2004 Bibi Andersson
Isfahan International Festival
of Films for Children & Young Adults 		CIFEJ
Golden Butterfly Award		 Iran 2003 Klaus Härö
Montréal International Children's Film Festival Montreal Grand Prix Canada 2003 Klaus Härö

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