Beyond

Original Release: December 10, 2010 (Sweden)
Directed by: Pernilla August
Written by: Susanna Alakoski, Pernilla August, Lolita Ray
Produced by: Helena Danielsson, Ralf Karlsson
Running Time: 99 minutes
Box Office: N/A

A morning just before Christmas, Leena (Noomi Rapace) receives a phone call from a hospital in her childhood hometown, telling her that her mother (Outi Mäenpää) is dying. This news takes Leena, a young mother herself, on a journey to face her mother for the first time in her adult life. Leena has fought all her life to let go of her grief over her lost and dark childhood. She is now forced to deal with her past to be able to move on.

Cast & Characters
Noomi Rapace (Leena), Ola Rapace (Johan), Outi Mäenpää (Aili), Ville Virtanen (Kimmo), Tehilla Blad (Leena as a child), Junior Blad (Sakari), Alpha Blad (Marja), Selma Cuba (Flisan), Minna Haapkylä (Helmi), Håkan Bengtsson (Veikko), Julia Öhrström-Jönsson (Riita), Lotten Roos (Inga-Lill), Rasmus Troedsson (Sten Hård)
Photo Gallery
Production Notes
"Beyond" is the feature directorial debut by actress Pernilla August. Discovered by Ingmar Bergman, who chose her for "Fanny and Alexander" in 1982, August won the Golden Palm for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for "The Best Intentions". International audiences may remember her best as Shmi Skywalker, mother of Anakin Skywalker in two episodes of the famous "Star Wars" saga. After directing the short film "Time-Bomb" in 2005, August chose "Beyond" (svinalängorna) - based on Susanna Alakoski's novel of the same name - for her feature film debut behind the camera. When I started working with this film I thought that the obvious theme was "growing up in an abusive family". A story about how terribly difficult it can be to be poor, from another country and unable to master the language. But as I got deeper into the story it struck me that it would be more interesting to combine the childhood story with a contemporary about the adult Leena. Together they tell the story about self-deception, to lie to yourself and the people around you. It is this story I want to tell and how you reach your resolution and how you can move on in life despite your past. The narrative form is affected by intimacy. I aim for the details and the mood of the film, using a subjective camera in the point of view from Leena- grown up and as a child. So we can feel and remember the fragrances from our childhood street. The camera angle is often narrow in the 1970s apartment and it increases a sense of panicky claustrophobia, Rapace’s face in contemporary time reiterates this same panic. Identity, a child’s forced responsibility and letting go of a broken past are hard tasks to deal with but August manages to create a credible approach without loosing grip or using cheap sentimental tricks.

"Beyond" world-premiered at the 67th Venice International Film Festival on 6 September 2010 to very positive reviews. The Hollywood Reporter wrote, that "Toni Morrison once said that regardless of how many beautiful, sappy or tired lines we've heard about the moon, the moment a master writer finds a new way of describing it, we are moved to tears. This holds true for much-lauded actress Pernilla August's treatment of domestic violence and alcoholism in "Beyond," a simultaneously restrained, gut-wrenching, but hopeful feature debut." The Daily Telegraph wrote, "The distinguished Swedish actress Pernilla August makes a noteworthy directing debut. It’s harrowing but finely observed, and Rapace is a commanding lead". Rapace's understated performance won praise and comparison to the the slow-boiling Swedes in the films of Ingmar Bergman. In 2011, "Beyond" was nominated for nine Guldbagge Awards - Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actress (Noomi Rapace), Best Supporting Actress (Tehilla Blad) and Best Supporting Actor (Ville Virtanen) - it won in three categories for Best Editing, Best Supporting Actress (Outi Mäenpää) and Best Director (Pernilla August). The film also won the Nordic Council Film Prize - Scandinavia’s largest film award and was selected as Sweden's entry for the 2012 Academy Awards as Best Foreign Language Film (though it didn't make the cut).