Ravens

Ravens is a compelling Swedish drama film released in 2017. The movie is set against the backdrop of the 1970s and presents an emotionally stirring narrative centred around loyalty, sacrifices, and the struggle for survival. It features remarkable performances by Lars-Gunnar Aronsson, Reine Brynolfsson, and Peter Dalle.

Directed by Jens Assur, Ravens introduces the audience to the protagonist Agne (played by Reine Brynolfsson), a hard-working farmer who inhales the virtues of the land – its earthy scent, its raw ruggedness, its pursuit of completion with every passing season. The audience watches as he single-handedly manages his family farm year after year. From plowing the field, sowing seeds, tending to livestock, to harvesting the grain, Agne invests his blood, sweat, and soul into the land. His knowledge about soil and crops isn't something that he learned from text books but has been passed on to him through generations.

Throughout the movie, Agne dramatizes not only a farmer's connection to the land but also his intense desire to pass on the legacy to his eldest son, Klas (portrayed by Johan Lilja). Agne's character seeks to echo a poignant tale of a father's expectations and dreams rooted solidly in his traditional way of life – a fact magnified by the stark contrast against Klas’s ambitions, which lie beyond the boundaries of the farm and the village.

Throughout Ravens, viewers experience the raw, turbulent relationship between a father and son, marked by a divergence of dreams. The vivacious portrayal of Klas by Johan Lilja offers an absorbing blend of rebellion, sensitivity, and inner conflict.

Agne's wife, portrayed by Maria Heiskanen, brings balance within the strenuous family dynamic, subtly portraying the strength and resilience of a woman married to a stubborn farmer and mother to a son caught between tradition and modernity.

Peter Dalle, in a supporting role, enriches the narrative by introducing the harsh realities of the changing agricultural industry and establishing a tangible connection between the events unfolding on the individual farm and larger economic changes.

The cinematography of Ravens is pivotal in creating a compelling atmosphere throughout the film. Every frame is meticulously designed and shot, presenting the authentic rural essence in the '70s. The open landscape, cold and grim yet beautiful in its way, echoes the relentless challenges faced by a farmer, the isolation endured and its raw, unspoken appeal. You can almost sense the echoes of the past generations of farmers who have trod the same soil, the burden of their expectations aligning with the chirping of the titular Ravens who observe the drama from the sidelines.

The movie explores the tense relationship between tradition and progress. Ravens symbolize a classic struggle – love for ancient traditions juxtaposed against the undertow of unavoidable change and modernity – a dichotomy sensitively portrayed by director Jens Assur.

Through the lens of farming life, Jens Assur carefully plants threads of emotional complexity and steady, simmering tension which slowly unfurl as Agne's world is besieged by the winds of change. The storyline patiently grows like a crop in a field, and concludes with a harvest that enlightening audiences about a farmer's enduring plight in a rapidly changing society.

Ravens also shines a light on the undercurrents of fate and inevitability in human lives, similar to the life cycle of a farm, sowing seeds of introspection in the viewer's mind. It paints a stark picture of farming life often overlooked by the urban populace but does so without resorting to cliches or over sentimentality.

In essence, Ravens is a voyage through a family's life affected by elements beyond their control. Lars-Gunnar Aronsson, Reine Brynolfsson, and Peter Dalle breathe life into this narrative, making it a movie that stays with the audience long after the final credits roll. The screenplay, photography, and compelling performances provide a rich and thoughtful exploration of rural life, heritage, parent-child dynamics, and the rippling effects of societal change.