Connect with us
'Sune vs Sune', based on the wildly popular Swedish children's books, is another classic trip with the Anderssons.

Film

Berlinale 2019: ‘Sune vs Sune’ is a Deeply Funny Family Comedy

‘Sune vs Sune’, based on the wildly popular Swedish children’s books, is another classic trip with the Anderssons.

It’s every child’s worst nightmare: they walk into class after a long summer break, only to find that there’s another student with the exact same name. Spare a thought for poor Sune (Elis Gerdt) then, who must be referred to as “Sune Two” for the rest of his school life. To rub salt into the wound, New Sune (John Österlund) is cooler in every way — he’s a year older, lived in the USA, and likes watching artsy documentaries. How can Old Sune ever compete?

Based on the wildly popular Swedish children’s books, Sune vs Sune is the kind of family comedy that is fully aware of how silly it is, and uses that fact to its advantage. While hardly reaching the artistic heights of the Paddington films (with which it shares a similar moral sentiment), it is stuffed full of endless jokes, making you laugh despite the corny subject matter. Honestly, I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

The parents here are just as insecure as the children. The mother is ashamed of her battered, uninsured car, and tries to avoid any responsibility as class representative (parents are expected to help out at schools in Scandinavia), while Dad, who works as a tax accountant, openly wonders whether he is the most boring person on the planet. These subplots interweave and mirror the children, eventually playing something like a sitcom parody of the conventional Swedish family.

These characters have been around since 1984 — in radio form, countless books, an animated TV series, and five feature films — becoming something of an institution in Swedish culture. First-time director Jon Holmberg and screenwriters Daniella Mendel-Enk and Sara Young have evidently grown up with these characters, and make them feel very strong right from the start. Tightly scripted with about two-to-three gags a minute, it’s one of those cheesy films that makes you laugh, then think — but never too hard.

The key theme is honesty, both with yourself and the people around you. Old Sune finds out the hard way when he tells his crush, Sophie (Lily Wahlsteen), that he doesn’t want to sing with her at the parents meeting because he heard New Sune say it was lame. Naturally, New Sune takes over, and is soon the Romeo to her Juliet. And I mean that literally; it’s the new choice for the school play. (You have to just let go of the fact that a bunch of 11 year-olds managed to rehearse an entire Shakespeare play within a week, replete with some fairly good recreations of the Verona countryside.)

Films like this are mostly content to rest upon cringe comedy for all their jokes (and there’s just a little too much of that here), so it’s refreshing that Sune vs Sune has a really keen visual sense as well. Jokes often play out in the back of the frame, allowing plot and subplot to intertwine in a truly Shakespearean way. Complemented by fantasy sequences, fake-outs, and impeccable comic editing, Sune vs Sune shows that visual flair can be the difference between something lame and something that’s actually funny. That’s the best endorsement I can give — the jokes just keep landing, making for one of the funniest family comedies in ages.

The 69th Berlin Film Festival runs February 7, 2019 – February 17, 2019. Visit the festival’s official website for more info.

Written By

As far back as he can remember, Redmond Bacon always wanted to be a film critic. To him, being a film critic was better than being President of the United States

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook

Trending

2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: Clarke and Kubrick’s Odyssey of Discovery

Culture

The Best Movies of 1973 The Best Movies of 1973

The Golden Year of Movies: 1973

Culture

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE review SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE review

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Is a Dazzling Web of Unbridled Creativity

Film

The Zone of Interest The Zone of Interest

Cannes 2023: Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest is a Manicured Vision of Hell

Culture

Asteroid City: A Gimmicky Vanity Project Asteroid City: A Gimmicky Vanity Project

Cannes 2023: Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City is a Gimmicky Vanity Project

Culture

Jeanne Du Barry review Jeanne Du Barry review

Cannes 2023: Maïwenn’s Great Hair Goes to Great Lengths in Jeanne Du Barry

Culture

Black Flies Gripping Black Flies Gripping

Cannes 2023: Black Flies— Gripping Descent into the Underbelly of New York’s Urban Misery 

Culture

Four Daughters Four Daughters

Cannes 2023: Four Daughters: A Family’s Journey From Goth to Niqab

Culture

La Passion de Dodin Bouffant: La Passion de Dodin Bouffant:

La Passion de Dodin Bouffant: Surfeit Cooking Drama Most Inane Film at Cannes

Culture

The Mother Jennifer Lopez and Lucy Paez The Mother Jennifer Lopez and Lucy Paez

Jennifer Lopez’s The Mother is Eerily Similar to Enough, But That’s Not a Bad Thing

Film

Godzilla 1998 Godzilla 1998

Godzilla at 25: When Hollywood Made a Manhattan Monster Movie, with Disastrous Results

Film

Starling Girl Starling Girl

The Starling Girl is a fine exploration of love, religion, and coming of age

Film

The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Reloaded

20 Years Later: The Matrix Reloaded was Underwhelming, but Still Underrated

Film

Discovery channel Discovery channel

The Head-Scratching Moves Discovery Has Been Making

Culture

Touch of Evil - Orson Welles Touch of Evil - Orson Welles

Cursed Genius: Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil

Culture

Le Retour: Controversially Mediocre French Contender Director: Catherine Corsini Le Retour: Controversially Mediocre French Contender Director: Catherine Corsini

Cannes 2023: Le Retour is a Controversially Mediocre French Contender

Culture

Connect