"It's simple! We do as we're told." This disconcerting reply comes from a Swedish employment office employee when asked how the country’s most unpopular government agency works. And that’s not all: in this creative documentary, case workers, receptionists and psychologists reveal how the Swedish employment system is failing. They complain about inadequate software and mystifying error messages, excessive caseloads and demoralizing results—on average, each case worker helps just 10 people find work each year, and only one in 10 clients will find a new job. To assure the anonymity of the interviewees, they're all represented by cardboard puppets. Thanks to visible puppeteers, expressive eyes and recognizable gestures, these puppets quickly take on the appearance of real people. The result is a fascinating, comical and artistic study of human strategies to get along in an irrational bureaucracy.
While Kurt Wallander works on a murder case involving a charming yet evil horse dealer who plays on the vulnerability of lonely women, he finds himself romantically involved with a married woman.
Johan is a 35 year old soccer fan, unemployed but living by his wits and charm. During the Soccer World Championships in 1990 all Swedes want to follow the games, including Johan who doesn't own a TV set. He gets himself invited to friends or goes to bars to see matches. He is pursued by two hit men, as he owes money for a grand piano he was supposed to sell. Johan seeks the help of down-and-out Kenneth to avoid bodily harm. Kenneth arranges for Johan to smuggle 15 Iraqi from Frankfurt to Sweden. On the same night Sweden plays the fateful game against Costa Rica...
