The Last Journey, directed by popular Swedish TV-duo Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson, was awarded the Best Documentary and Audience Awards during the annual Guldbagge ceremony, held January 13 in Stockholm. The film is produced by Lars Beckung and Petra Måhl.
The other nominations in the Best Documentary category were:
- G – 21 Scenes from Gottsunda directed by Loran Batti. Swedish gang conflict as seen from the inside over five years by a filmmaker who is at home portraying one of Sweden’s most dangerous areas.
- Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 directed by Göran Hugo Olsson. A film that explores one of the world’s longest conflicts through archival Swedish TV footage, challenging conventions of history-writing, depicting how media perceived the issue.
- The Road to Nowhere directed by Johan Palmgren Joy and tragedy on a road with no connection at either ends, filmed in the most northern part of Sweden.
In The Last Journey, Filip Hammar’s father Lars has lost his zest for life. An avowed Francophile and much-loved former teacher, Lars’ entering ‘le troisième âge’ has resulted in a slow decline towards depression and lethargy. This is to the consternation of his loving wife Tiina, who has remained fit and healthy, and his son Filip, a popular entertainer in Sweden. “It feels like you’re waiting to die,” Filip tearfully regales his dad at the beginning of the film.
So, together with professional partner Fredrik Wikingsson, Filip hatches a plan to reignite his father’s lust for life. Why not embark on a road trip from their home in Sweden to Beaulieu-sur-Mer in the south France, the blissful location of the family’s holidays in the 1980s and 90s?
Lars adores France and all things French. “My mother put a beret on my head when I was a young boy, and that guided my thinking,” he says in the film. He also loves how every Frenchman is “his own President,” who decides whether or not a red traffic light is worth stopping for.
The plan to drive down south seems idyllic but, as becomes patently obvious, age really is a handicap for Lars…
Since its release in March 2024, The Last Journey has become the most watched documentary in Swedish cinemas, with ticket sales well in advance of 400,000.
