Pure
A high-school dropout determines to transcend her troubled past, no matter the cost, in intense drama Pure. Although destined to be remembered as the film that made riveting 22-year-old Alicia Vikander a star in her bigscreen debut, the strong writing, clever use of music and confidently nuanced visuals mark Swedish helmer-scribe Lisa Langseth as a talent to watch.
(...) Adapting her own play, Langseth explores issues of class and culture in contempo Sweden. Her protagonist is 20-year-old Katarina (Vikander, in a visceral performance), the tightly wound daughter of a suicidal alcoholic.
Katarina's savage soul finds solace in classical music, so she's practically in heaven when she bluffs her way into a receptionist job at the Gothenburg Symphony. And she flowers under the attentions of the orchestra's charismatic, married conductor Adam (Samuel Froler, casually cruel), who tries to cultivate her taste with recommended readings and recordings. But their brief affair leaves her more vulnerable than ever.
Alissa Simon, Variety
Original title: Till det son är vackert
Duration: 112 min
Dialogue: Swedish
Subtitles: English
Age limit: K15
