Ciné-club nordique : Redoubt

At the height of the Cold War, farm worker Karl-Göran Persson sets out to fortify his house. He collects scrap metal that he embeds into the walls to build a fortress meant to protect him and his neighbors. His efforts meet with incomprehension from everyone, except the children. As construction progresses, conflict with the villagers intensifies.

The film is inspired by the life of Karl-Göran Persson, who lived in Scania, in southern Sweden, between 1894 and 1975. Deeply affected by the images and messages conveyed by the brochure « If war comes » (Om kriget kommer), distributed several times by the Swedish government starting in 1943 to prepare the civilian population for war, he turned his home into a shelter using recycled materials. The redoubt he built in Söderto is still standing today.

« This film has stayed with me for a very long time. Yet, it was impossible for me to imagine that an actor could take on the role of Karl-Göran and do him full justice, so much had this character taken on an almost mythical dimension in my eyes. It was actually the idea of seeing Denis Lavant play Karl-Göran that allowed me to envision the film. The film was conceived for him and with him.

Before shooting, Denis came to Sweden to discover the locations and take part in a practical workshop with some of the artists responsible for rebuilding Karl-Göran's fortification. All were astonished by the speed with which he learned, not so much to perform the gestures as to give the impression that he had always mastered them.

To learn Swedish, he worked with my mother, who speaks the southern Swedish dialect, as well as with his collaborator and translator Angelica Ruffier. By coincidence, the “r” sounds of this dialect closely resemble French “r” sounds.

What Denis Lavant brought that was most beautiful to his interpretation of Karl-Göran is a radical joy of living. We live in an era marked by cynicism. Denis's performance is the exact opposite. »

– John Skoog, director

A graduate of the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main, John Skoog develops a film practice at the intersection of documentary, experimentation and contemporary art. His work has been presented in numerous international institutions and festivals, including the Berlinale, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Museum of the Moving Image and PS1 MoMA in New York, IDFA, the London Film Festival, the MuMoK in Vienna and the MMK in Frankfurt. In 2019, his documentary SÄSONG (RIDGE) received the main prize at the CPH:DOX festival. Redoubt is his first feature film. Since 2016, he has been teaching cinema at the Mainz Academy of Fine Arts.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with John Skoog.

Director : John Skoog

Screenplay : John Skoog, Kettil Kasang

With : Denis Lavant

Cinematography : Ita Zbroniec-Zajt

Editing : John Skoog, Jussi Rautaniemi

Duration : 1h21

Language : VOSTFR