Gunnel Lindblom Movies

A discredited journalist and a mysterious computer hacker discover that even the wealthiest families have skeletons in their closets while working to solve the mystery of a 40-year-old murder. Inspired by late author Stieg Larsson's successful trilogy of books, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo gets under way as Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander are briefed in the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, whose uncle suspects she may have been killed by a member of their own family. The deeper Mikael and Lisbeth dig for the truth, however, the greater the risk of being buried alive by members of the family who will go to great lengths to keep their secrets tightly sealed. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Those with a special love for Swedish films and who are familiar with actresses Harriet Andersson and Bibi Andersson and Gunnel Lindblom will be most delighted by this documentary interview held at the palatial French retreat of noted late filmmaker Mai Zetterling. The trio of actresses have ostensibly gathered to pay tribute to Zetterling, but during the course of their day also reminisce about their own careers and the illustrious figures, including Ingmar Bergman, they have worked with. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this drama, based on a stage play by Agneta Pleijel, an entire family, including grandparents, their children, and the grandchildren (and their lovers, husbands and wives) have gathered to celebrate the family matriarch's birthday. In this dialogue-heavy production, the celebration provides the discontented family members with an opportunity to voice their complaints about their lives and against one another as loudly as possible. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In a characterization that twists and turns like an insomniac, (Ewa Froeling) does the best she can with the female lead, Sally. The "liberated" Sally (a social worker) first wants to marry, and did marry Jonas, the lawyer. She wanted a child and did have little Mia. She does not want another child, gets pregnant, and gets an abortion without telling Jonas ahead of time. She next wants a divorce, and gets one, leaving with Mia. Then she wants to live together with Simon, a teacher, but does not want to marry him - and she carries that out. Then she wants Mia to live with Jonas, and sends her away. When she sees Jonas is happily married again, and Mia is happy, she wants to be married too. Simon does not. She wants a child. Simon does not. She gets pregnant. Simon does not want the child. She goes for another abortion. To say that Sally does not know her own mind, is to assume that the character has one as she fluctuates between wanting marriage and wanting divorce, wanting a baby and wanting an abortion, not wanting marriage and wanting marriage, not wanting an abortion and not wanting a baby. There are only so many of these combinations that can go around before three lemons come up. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Conventions of civility among family members are severely strained by the very real breakup of the bonds between them. During a few days at a vacation home, Katha (Birgitta Valberg), a woman in late middle age, tries to cope with an influx of discontented, disconnected relatives. Her divorced daughter brings all sorts of people to the house, including a woman-friend accompanied by her psychotic son; the grandfather of the house is convinced he is dying and is satisfied by nothing; and some friends drop off their angry teenage son to stay with her, while they go on a long trip abroad. Her friend Emma (Sif Ruud) doesn't help much with keeping a lid on things, as she is a social worker who is fascinated by the awfulness of these situations. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A daughter (Lena Nyman) is caught in the marital feud between her mother (Gunnel Lindblom) and father (Georg Ryderberg) in this tense drama. The parents wage a battle for emotional supremacy until the father descends into madness and withdraws from society and his family. The mother believes she has won, but the family loses more than they win in this tragedy of love gone wrong. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This dark and extremely grim Swedish drama is set at the end of the 19th century and centers upon an imprisoned woman awaiting her execution. Her story is told via flashback. The trouble began when she and her son were tried for murder and incest. Before the trial, rumors were spread about the scandalous relationship. To quell them, the son married another woman. Unfortunately, the young man was impotent and unable to consummate the marriage. The bride tried to force the issue and the enraged fellow beat her unconscious, and his mother then strangled her to death. The mother then tricked her son into confessing to the murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Edward (Jean Desailly) is a conservative, middle-aged husband who has made his fortune in manufacturing. He has never forgiven his flirtatious, younger wife Elena (Gunnel Lindblom) for an affair she had the previous year. Elena tries to make Edward jealous by flirting with a Dutch tourist (Van Doude), but the husband has no reaction. When Edward confides in his mother (Mien Duymaer Van Twist) that he has entertained thoughts of suicide, Mom talks Edward into faking his own death to determine Elena's reaction and loyalty to her husband. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Raised in the country with only her world-weary, cynical father, a former judge, for company, a young woman grows up believing that she too is angry at the world. Other than her reclusive father, her only human contact comes from her personal maid and a scarecrow that the girl mistakenly believes has come to life. Her life abruptly changes one day when a fugitive criminal shows up and begs the judge for shelter. Hating all things having to do with the law, the old man lets him in. The young woman is enchanted by the fugitive's presence and grows close to him until she discovers that he and the maid have become lovers. The enraged young woman vows to kill the maid, but the latter hastily leaves. With no hindrance, the girl and the fugitive fall in love and head for Paris where the girl learns valuable lessons about herself and tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The third entry in Ingmar Bergman's trilogy about faith and redemption (with Through A Glass Darkly and Winter Light) is a stark and enigmatic allegory fueled by subtle performances from Ingrid Thulin and Gunnel Lindblom. Thulin plays Ester, a translator and intellectual, who is traveling back to Sweden on a train with her younger sister Anna (Linblom) and Anna's son Johan (Jorgen Lindstrom). They stop in the town of Timuku and check into an old hotel in a foreign land where the language cannot be understood by the three travelers. Ester, who suffers from a terminal lung disease, is very protective towards Anna; but Anna resents being tied down by her sickly sister, and she leaves the hotel room, picking up a waiter (Birger Malmsten in a nearby café. Returning to the hotel room, Anna tells Ester about her sexual encounter with the waiter, and Ester becomes sexually aroused. Anna leaves for another room in the hotel to continue making love with the waiter. Johan helps Ester track Anna down Anna, and Anna and the waiter proceed to make love a third time. This provokes a violent and biter argument between the two sisters. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Inspired by a medieval Swedish ballad, Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukallan) begins with a scene of unspeakable brutality and ends with an image of uncommon beauty. 15-year-old Birgitta Peterson, on her way to church to light candles for the Virgin Mary, is raped and murdered by two older men. The men look for shelter at the home of Birgitta's father (Max Von Sydow), who murders the bestial killers in cold blood. When the deed is done, Von Sydow, a deeply religious man, begins to question the efficacy of a God that would allow his daughter's death, then permit so bloody a retribution. Then, a fresh, virgin spring bubbles from the ground where his daughter had been lying a few moments before. Taking this natural phenonenon as a sign from above, Von Sydow vows to erect a church on the spot where Birgitta met her doom. The winner of the "best foreign picture" Academy Award, The Virgin Spring currently exists in several versions of varying lengths; the longest, and most graphic, is the original Swedish cut. Believe it or not, this hauntingly beautiful film served as the basis of The Last House on the Left (1972). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After exploring his disillusionment with religion in his previous films, Ingmar Bergman adopted a humanistic approach for this classic study in isolationism. Legendary Scandinavian director Victor Sjöström stars as Isak Borg, an aging medical professor who reassesses his life while journeying to his former university to receive an honorary degree. Borg travels with his estranged daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) and revisits many of the landmarks of his past, conjuring up memories of his family and of his onetime sweetheart Sara (Bibi Andersson). Returning to the present, he meets a teenage girl who resembles the long-departed Sara. She hitches a ride with the professor and Marianne, as do a ceaselessly bickering married couple. These new characters eventually become intertwined with Borg's hazy flashbacks and fantasies, as the old man recalls the disappointments and disillusionments that have left him cold and guilt-ridden, attributes emphasized when he encounters his equally cold and resentful son. Bookending Borg's odyssey of self-discovery are a series of symbolic images at the beginning of the film (a clock without hands, a man without a face) and a hauntingly beautiful finale, in which professor is beckoned back to the "perfect" world he left behind so many years earlier. This classic art movie remains one of Bergman's most accessible films and one of the most influential European art movies of its generation. Its intense focus on one man's thoughts, regrets, and memories set the tone for innumerable psychological character studies in its wake. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi