The sports clichés line up. Lockout. Walking victory. Betting against a goal. But it was also a rare win for Axel Petersén and his faded Malta drama "The Scapegoat". Seven wins out of a possible nine – which even beats last year's big triumph "Triangle of Sadness" which "only" won six.
The Biggest Competitor Despite seven nominations, "Hammarskjöld" had to settle for a measly ram. It may not have been a pure humiliation for the Mikael Persbrandt-driven drama – not like in 2005 when Kay Pollak's "As It Is in Heaven" had eight chances but went home with a zero on the scoresheet – but it must have stung as well.
The fact that "The Scapegoat", despite all its nominations, was not nominated in the top category Best Film is odd, but it is really irrelevant since that award was given to Mika Gustafson's "Paradise is Burning". At least in my brain. Anything else would have been a negative sensation, as it was the absolute number one Swedish film of 2023. If it weren't for the Guldbagge Awards' new rule, which states that acting debutants cannot be nominated, young amateur Bianca Delbravo, who excels in Gustafson's sparkling and soulful drama, would certainly have taken home that award. The heavily criticized and rather silly rule is likely to be gone next year.
It's fun to Lukas Moodysson, with his return to the film industry with the sequel "Together 99", took home the prize he usually gets his hands on, Best Screenplay. Also so that the actor Anja Lundqvist got her first ram, for the supporting role of Lena – one of the most difficult and neurotic characters in Swedish film history.
As usual, few people have seen the Guldbagge winners. "Paradise is Burning" just sold over 10,000 tickets and "The Scapegoat" barely half. Which is a bit sad and further proof that quality doesn't necessarily sell. Which is partly due to the fact that the narrower Swedish films are squeezed out of the repertoire of crowd-pleasing comedies such as "One Last Race" and hordes of American superheroes. But that is another text.