[Movies] Britt-Marie var här | Britt-Marie Was Here

[yuuago]

Watched Britt-Marie Was Here, an adaptation of Swedish author Fredrik Backman's novel by the same title.

The story is about Britt-Marie, a woman who, after being confronted with some changes in her life, suddenly takes a job in a rural community as a children's soccer coach, because it's the only opening available. Never mind that she doesn't particularly like kids and she doesn't know a thing about soccer; she's going to make this thing work. (Somehow.)

The version of Britt-Marie in the film is a rather different person than she is in the novel. The character in the book is sympathetic, but not very likeable. The Britt-Marie here, played by Pernilla August, is the sort of person who is a bit prickly but ultimately relatively willing to be flexible with her point of view, I think. (Somehow, even with the change, she's exactly how I imagined Britt-Marie. Good casting, I would say.)

Compared to the novel, the film is much more streamlined. It drops a whole lot of subplots, which means it loses some depth and we don't get much characterization for the kids in Britt-Marie's team and for Bank, her assistant coach. But I think that it would have been difficult to include any of the excised material without the film wearing out its welcome, not to mention that the mood would be much different. So, I think adapting it in this way was a good decision overall.

And the way they did the ending was perfect for this one.

Not a must-see, but give it a look if you liked the novel and are curious about this version, or if you want to watch a cozy, feel-good film about an older woman trying to figure out what she wants out of life.

Comments

[muccamukk]

I keep meaning to read that novel. I really liked the first one.

[yuuago]

I'll be interested in seeing what you think if you do read it!