Thelma and Sahlina are just your typical teenage Swedish girls. Chatting, giggling, comparing photographs on their mobile phone…and practising their hunting and shooting skills and refining their ability to skin a wild boar.
They happily talk about what they will be doing in a few years time – working in the local forest and maybe looking for a boyfriend – as they stare down the telescopic sight of their rifles and wait for boar to emerge on to the snowy landscape.
Now aged 17, they are allowed to hunt without parental supervision for the first time, with Lisa Meyer’s engagingly intimate film following them as they search for game in a wintry Swedish landscape, practise shooting and give each other tips on the best way to position your rifle. These two best friends are like any other best pals as they sing and joke about the future.
Their outdoor life – whether it be driving a tractor or clay pigeon shooting – is second nature to them, and they are happily immersed in a lifestyle that comes as second nature. Watching these two blonde teenage Swedes learn how to skin a dead boar that hangs in a family outhouse might make for challenging viewing, but in Meyer’s film it is simply a case of youngsters happily engaging with life around them.
“We’re turning 18 next year,” they comment, “That’s when life begins for real. We can do lots of stuff. I’m going to get a driving licence first of all…and then we can go to the pub. We can go anywhere we like. You’re suddenly an adult, but in my head, I’ll never grow up.“
A charmingly atmospheric film that makes the most of the beautiful snowy Swedish landscapes, this charming intimate film is at heart the simple story of two best friends as they come of age. Warm and nicely non-judgemental, Lisa Meyer’s film is an easy-to-watch essay of two very ordinary teenagers whose hobby might be viewed by many as somewhat less than ordinary.
Sweden, 2022, 15mins
Dir: Lisa Meyer
Production: Sisyfos Film Production AB
Producer: Mario Adamson
Cinematography: Malin Nicander
Editor: Simon Carlgren
With: Thelma Edblad, Sahlina Lundgren
