Grisjakten (English: "The Pig Hunt"; "gris" = "pig", "jakt" = "hunt") is a 1970 Swedish film, made by Jonas Cornell after a 1968 novel by P. C. Jersild starring Hans Alfredsson and Keve Hjelm The film's genre is difficult to classify, it's an absurdly told story on an absurd matter. It's presumably best described as a non comedy satire. A dry and serious encounter with the Swedish bureaucracy and democracy as of Sweden around 1970. The question "Is everything decided by a parliamentary majority the same as democracy?" (including absurd issues and potentially, in the longer run, pure madness or evilness) is fundamental to this film.
And how civil servants plans and carries out a task which obviously lacks all reasonable explanations. Killing all (very healthy) domestic pigs on a rather large agricultural island and burning the meat. The only reason given, is that the decision indeed is made in a full democratic manner and according to the constitution.
Films with some kind of political message were not rare during the 1960s and 1970s, but this film isn't about the usual socialism or capitalism issue.
After the death of the truly beloved Swedish comedian (in the 1960s and 1970s), actor, author and film director Hans Alfredsson in September 2017, the Swedish Public Service television broadcaster SVT, has aired this film several times. This film could well be said to be Alfredsson's first non-comedy work, a side of Alfredsson never seen before.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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