What could have been an introvert lament about midlife crisis turned out to be a joyful and gripping energy pill, and a celebration to friendship and family. In musical terms: think power indie pop single rather then arty introspective double album. This movie is a real gem.
11 Reviews
Storytelling....
philip-001975 March 2021
Let's start by getting one thing out of the way; this is no 1/10 (however many films the critic claims to have seen). Film making is all about story telling - and Schyffert/Brandelius certainly do that.
They also venture into a, relatively, new format and at times push the envelope of filmmaking. However... bold and innovative as "Spring Uje, spring" may be - it reaches nowhere near excellence. It's low budget and makes no apologies for being so. But somehow it feels like it's a "dead end concept" - one where no amount of further funding would have delivered a home run.
The end result is quaint, at times slow and often borderline childish. But it is reasonable, and certainly innovative, storytelling. If you can get into the format - it delivers beyond your average Hollywood "standard".
For the cineast it delivers a few novel takes alongside a few more "don't dos". Commendable though the approach is; the shortcomings feel superior in number to the good moments. By all means watch, but it may be an acquired taste - and those with such acquisitions are likely find a few flaws.
They also venture into a, relatively, new format and at times push the envelope of filmmaking. However... bold and innovative as "Spring Uje, spring" may be - it reaches nowhere near excellence. It's low budget and makes no apologies for being so. But somehow it feels like it's a "dead end concept" - one where no amount of further funding would have delivered a home run.
The end result is quaint, at times slow and often borderline childish. But it is reasonable, and certainly innovative, storytelling. If you can get into the format - it delivers beyond your average Hollywood "standard".
For the cineast it delivers a few novel takes alongside a few more "don't dos". Commendable though the approach is; the shortcomings feel superior in number to the good moments. By all means watch, but it may be an acquired taste - and those with such acquisitions are likely find a few flaws.
A bit disappointing
swedish-1129624 April 2021
Low budget but good
luiulldo14 March 2021
If you're used to watch mindless Hollywood productions then this movie just isn't for you!
It might confront you with some uncomfortable feelings and make you think a little. Sometimes it's refreshing to watch something a little more critical.
Political? Yes, it's political! Thank you! Few movies dare to take part in sensitive subjects and this production is not afraid of exposing them, in this case what most white swedes think but don't say openly about i.e minorities, and so on.
Political? Yes, it's political! Thank you! Few movies dare to take part in sensitive subjects and this production is not afraid of exposing them, in this case what most white swedes think but don't say openly about i.e minorities, and so on.
If you are looking for a good movie, it's not for you (it is decent)
tjooljo12 March 2021
This movie follows a man called Uje who discovers that he has parkinson disease. I couldn't relate at all with the character. I have also to cope with a disease and that didn't even help. The movie is 1 hour and 15 minutes but it feels like it could be shortened to 40 minutes and nothing vital would be lost. Seeing all the hype and it's awards I expected something great but I know also that movies like Götakanal 2 also were quite popular despite not being good. The movie förortsungar also won multiple awards despite also not being good at all. I guess it is decent and a bit leaning left if we are going to go in politically. It tries to satire about the society but fails miserably. I have seen a lot of biographical films and this one is more or less probably the worst one of the bunch. I could see some people liking it but it is definitly not for me. Also did I mention this is apperently a comedy... It also doesn't help that Uje seem to live quite a depressing life.
A beautiful art piece
tuva-2360114 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"Spring Uje spring" ("Run Uje run") vividly envisions the reality of Uje's situation. He gets the diagnosis Parkinsons Disorder thrown at him and does some research afterwards, learning about the longterm struggles, all the not-so-well-known symptoms and the sudden personality changes Parkinsons gives a person. After being diagnosed he didn't tell his family and close ones immediatly, I believe the research and diagnosis scared him. The viewer don't know a lot about his life before he got Parkinsons, but the glimpse we got seemed functional. After the diagnosis he got easily frustrated, incredibly self indulgent and very passive aggressive. I believe that was not necessarily caused by Parkinsons directly, but rather what emotions this disorder caused him and how he handled them.
By the end of the movie we have followed Uje through his lowest, we have seen him struggle - not only with Parkinsons, but with his job, relations and hobbies. When Uje leaves that party, I was worried. No one understood why he suddenly left after such a joyfull experience. All his loved ones were there to congratulate him, even his son who lives very far away and even his bandmembers whom he had showed anger towards only a few days prior. He had been showed so much love - and he left.
He enters a space that beautifully depicts how he envisions his disorder and how he thinks his close ones and strangers would view him if they knew about it. This part is what swept me away. It used common themes throughout the movie as well as memorable one time events to very straightforward show the viewer Uje's reality. Perhaps, even acceptance. His wife confronts him about his strange behavior, and he tells her that he has Parkinsons, and this scene was so realistic and wonderful. What are you suppose to say to someone who only knows a little less about Parkinsons than you, who has the disorder? How do you tell them in a way that makes them understand what you're going through, and what you might go through? When do you find the "right time" in a busy everyday life? This movie picks these questions apart and answers with a gray "there is no right answer". There is never just one way to go, and there is no right answer. You will have to make that path yourself. This movie shows that the path can be rough and have obstacles, you might feel stuck and it might seem hopeless to you at times - but if you keep moving forward you will eventually, no matter what your path looked like, find your way through, and I think that is a beautiful message, no matter how cheesy it sounds. "Everything will be alright."
By the end of the movie we have followed Uje through his lowest, we have seen him struggle - not only with Parkinsons, but with his job, relations and hobbies. When Uje leaves that party, I was worried. No one understood why he suddenly left after such a joyfull experience. All his loved ones were there to congratulate him, even his son who lives very far away and even his bandmembers whom he had showed anger towards only a few days prior. He had been showed so much love - and he left.
He enters a space that beautifully depicts how he envisions his disorder and how he thinks his close ones and strangers would view him if they knew about it. This part is what swept me away. It used common themes throughout the movie as well as memorable one time events to very straightforward show the viewer Uje's reality. Perhaps, even acceptance. His wife confronts him about his strange behavior, and he tells her that he has Parkinsons, and this scene was so realistic and wonderful. What are you suppose to say to someone who only knows a little less about Parkinsons than you, who has the disorder? How do you tell them in a way that makes them understand what you're going through, and what you might go through? When do you find the "right time" in a busy everyday life? This movie picks these questions apart and answers with a gray "there is no right answer". There is never just one way to go, and there is no right answer. You will have to make that path yourself. This movie shows that the path can be rough and have obstacles, you might feel stuck and it might seem hopeless to you at times - but if you keep moving forward you will eventually, no matter what your path looked like, find your way through, and I think that is a beautiful message, no matter how cheesy it sounds. "Everything will be alright."
If you're looking for a thrilling drama, it's not for you
kijowh14 February 2021
This movie is amazing. It's a self biography by Uje who discoveres he has Parkinsons disease. It's not a movie in a theatrical sense, it's a movie about a real person and his story about finding out about his disease. If you're searching for a thrilling ending, this is not for you. If you want to see a real story about a real person who is still alive (and therefore not a depressing ending) this is for you. It's like a documentary in past tense.
Too political for me
patriarch-k10 March 2021
It was a potentially good movie, but there were political statements every five minutes which annoyed me to the maximum, even if I don't necessarily disagree with the statements. I just could not watch this properly without getting annoyed.
Seminal, touching, sad and funny
mailstudiostar29 March 2021
This movie is nothing short of amazing. Partially because manages to be many things at once. It's stylistically seminal, It's touching, sad and existential. It's funny, ironic and silly. The music, written and performed by Uje himself, complements the storyline perfectly. I could go on and on about how my (Swedish) generation grew up on this kind of dark and ironic humor. How much it shaped us, etc, etc. But I'll just end this review now by recommending you see it for yourself instead. It's well worth the time.
The only downside is actually that it was too short. Feels like it could have been so much more. That maybe it deserved to be fleshed out a bit more. But hey.. that's just me looking very hard for minuses.
The only downside is actually that it was too short. Feels like it could have been so much more. That maybe it deserved to be fleshed out a bit more. But hey.. that's just me looking very hard for minuses.
Probably the worst Swedish movie ever made
himmelsvid21 March 2021
There really is no plot in the movie. It is a slow pondering of a man's and his family new situation learning about his serious disease. That can work, if the characters are interesting and if there is emotional magic between the actors. But there is none, even though the main actors are actually related.
The director and script writer try, in a highly cringe-worthy way, to put forward a lot of political messages which are politically correct in Sweden, making the movie a kind of confirmation bias and feel good for those Swedes that adhere to those ideas. If these political ideas would instead be challenged and more deeply explored, it would give a wholly new depth. Instead, political statements are just lined up and easily dismissed instead of problematizing them, making the movie cringy.
Nota bene: I am a big cineast and have watched a great amounts of movies. Still I have never written a review here. However, the audacity of this movie's claim of being such an original and good movie made me had to write this review for sake of review balance.
The director and script writer try, in a highly cringe-worthy way, to put forward a lot of political messages which are politically correct in Sweden, making the movie a kind of confirmation bias and feel good for those Swedes that adhere to those ideas. If these political ideas would instead be challenged and more deeply explored, it would give a wholly new depth. Instead, political statements are just lined up and easily dismissed instead of problematizing them, making the movie cringy.
Nota bene: I am a big cineast and have watched a great amounts of movies. Still I have never written a review here. However, the audacity of this movie's claim of being such an original and good movie made me had to write this review for sake of review balance.
Too bad
TR_Ashkan17 March 2021
The first 30 minutes are promising and I especially enjoyed a couple of the music scenes. But the second half loses tempo and the long dream sequence towards the end is just boring. Worst of all, the whole movie is littered with the kind of banal political statements you would expect from a 14 year old child.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
