Two weeks before the graduation exhibition at the art school, the new principal Jack von Rosen (Magnus Krepper) takes office. During his presentation, he presents business-oriented ideas and it turns out that he secretly represents an ancient society that wants to commercialize art. Meanwhile, one of the students, Irma (Isabelle Grill/Hilda Krepper), is commissioned by God to create the perfect work of art and thereby becomes a target for Jack and his company. The debuting directors from the collective KonstAB, however, do not let Irma stand alone in the fight, but give her support from the school’s two lecturers and not least a Danish Dadaist.
Set in a near-future Sweden, where jobs are scarce, margins are tight and corporate profit trumps all, this timely hybrid film reveals a frighteningly all-too-recognisable economic dystopia. Sköld highlights the effects of the ruthless system on families, friendships and communities. All but a hair’s breadth away from homelessness, zero-hours contract workers squabble over shifts at the discount supermarket while store manager Eleni, a new mother forced to return to work too soon, frantically pumps breast milk in the staff toilets. Poignant and compellingly performed, the film’s vignettes are punctuated with animated sequences, inventively exposing the dehumanising and absurdly wasteful effects of capitalism. And yet, beyond the store, an ever-growing ‘underclass’ offers a sense of hope through sustainability and true community.
A male director is making a film about the annoying, dominant whiteness of cultural space. But what words do they really use? When two of the women in the team question how they figure themselves, they need a break.
