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An achingly sensual story of love and adultery set in the early years of the
20th century, A Serious Game is an adaptation of a classic novel by Hjalmar
Söderberg that centers on the passionate affair between the painter Lydia Stille
and the journalist Arvid Stjärnblom. It begins when they are young and
penniless, but after Arvild delays asking for her hand the impetuous Lydia
vanishes. Nevertheless, when they meet again a decade later, their connection
sparks once more, wreaking havoc on their respective marriages, children, and
position in the strait-laced society of the time. Both Lydia and Arvid dream of
a pure, great and untainted love, yet such a love demands a greater sacrifice
than they could ever imagine. This evocative film deals with the choices they
have, the choices they do not have, the consequences of the choices they make. |
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"A Serious Game is a visual delight, but it adheres a
little too strictly to the rules of conventional melodrama... The scenes in the
newspaper office, governed by Michael Nyqvist’s straight-talking editor,
are particularly sharp." ...Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
"Karin Franz Körlof plays her starring role with bravura - And Liv Mjönäs in the
role of Arvid's wife Dagmar. Extra praise goes to Michael Nyqvist who
plays the managing editor Markel with a warmth that permeates every scene he is
involved in." ...Silja Sahlgren-Fodstad, Svenska.yle.fi
"It has an attention to detail, we rarely see in the Swedish
film, but more often with directors like Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold and Jane
Campion. An aesthetic detail in each component from the smallest unfinished
replica of framing, lighting and sound effects that contribute to the sensually
tactile movie experience. ...Malena Jansen, FLM.nu
"Nyqvist brings a warm spark to his role. Mikkel Boe
Folsgaard (memorable as the imbecilic king in A Royal Affair) also has a
moving scene as the paper's foreign correspondent, whose past ties to Lydia
resurface inconveniently." ...David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
"The contrast between the still photo is many times
reminiscent of classic paintings, and the handheld camera feels instinctively
fresh. What made August to run on the old TV format 4: 3 I do not know, but it
actually looks really good on the big screen. The soundtrack is sparse and
beautiful and complements the photo as well as storytelling... Sverrir Gudnason
and Karin Franz Körlof manage to give their characters' suffering credibility.
Michael Nyqvist offers a stable role in the interpretation of the main
editor Markel, but the material he has to work with is a bit too flat.
...Eric Diedrich, Filmtopp.se
"As a director, Pernilla August is, unsurprisingly, at her
best when working with actors, herself being one of Ingmar Bergman’s protégés in
the early part of her acting career, most memorably in her first film role as
the maid in Fanny and Alexander. Her focus on the acting is well served
by the old fashioned format of the film." ...Nils Saeveras,
Fipresci
"A rather pitiful and introverted character, not unlike a
Scandi version of Herman Melville’s Bartleby, the Scrivener, Arvid has
recently moved to Copenhagen, where he hopes to make a career as a copy editor
for the Nationalbladet journal. When his editor (The Girl With the Dragon
Tattoo’s Michael Nyqvist, a more interesting actor with a far more
natural energy) drags him along to visit a painter at his lake house, Arvid
shyly catches the eye of the artist’s daughter, Lydia Stille." ...Peter
Debruge, Variety
"As far as the acting is concerned, Karin Franz Körlof
delivers a raw and poignant performance as Lydia, a woman in the forefront who
was probably born some one hundred years too soon. Sverrir Gudnason gives an
equally touching and strong turn as Arvid, who is quite passive in his choices
and who takes a long time to get a grip on himself. The supporting cast made up
of Michael Nyqvist, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard and Liv Mijönes is uniformly
excellent." ...Emma Vestrheim, Cinema Scandinavia
"Arvid, the newly hired copy editor for a Copenhagen
newspaper comes to visit the house one day, tagging along with his editor (Michael
Nykvist, wonderful as always)... This somewhat familiar tale of ruinous
extramarital passion is elevated by the film’s visual restraint - a cool Nordic
palette of creams and pale grays framed in Academy ratio - and the solid
performances from actors unafraid to commit to their frequently unlikeable
characters. August’s deliberate pacing and formal simplicity add thematic layers
too." ...Jessica Kiang, IndieWire
"A Serious Game remains a worthy piece of cinema, and
given August has worked so closely in her career as an actress with filmmakers
such as Bille August and Ingmar Bergman, it’s safe to say that she has taken
notes from such collaborations, and has put such experiences into practise,
because this is a fine offering." ...Stefan Pape, HeyUGuys.com
Danish Reviews:
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