Screwed in Tallinn - A Small Film About Loneliness (1999)

Don't Believe the Hype

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

This is a an honest but brutal black comedy about the left-overs of Swedish manhood looking for someone to save them from their pit of loneliness. I just saw the film for probably about the tenth time and it struck me that not only the nice and naive country-guy Roland and the other obviously lonely participants in the trip are lonely but so are almost everyone. What this film is about is their different way of dealing with their loneliness.Look at the mediocre loser of a businessman Percy who hides his feelings of abandonment in a false layer of professionalism. The only time we see Percy vulnerable and his yearning for love is on the ferry, strongly intoxicated with alcohol. And the one he opens up to is Lasse Kongo, a soul so deprived from alcohol abuse, with no ability for empathy, but all the while, seemingly Percy's only friend. Paradoxically, Percy, being the self-proclaimed matchmaker ultimately appears to be the one who ruins Rolands chances of scoring. However, Percy is not as far from redemption as Magnus, who lives his life completely in denial.And the nice and correct Roland, who tries, and we really feel sorry for him, but turns out too weak. Life is hard against him and he is forced to submit.Or Lennart, who hides his insecurity in always being the strong one and his inability to communicate with women with a detailed sermon about the basis for relationship taken from some book he just read for this occasion.The film is both incredibly funny and incredibly tragical. You can say that the more tragical it gets, the more funny. You really get caught with laughing at the patehetic shortcomings of the characters which poses the question of ethics. Sometimes you wonder if it wouldn't be more correct to cry. However, the element of comedy is based on the concept of recognition which ultimately leads us to the conclusion that we're actually laughing at ourselves.This is a great film in every aspect. The acting, the story, the cinematography, the casting and especially the writing. Some of the lines are just so genius and so right on the target, especially the small details that creates such a tremendous realism and creditability to this film. Take Roland when he removes the first slice of cucumber. Its such a trivial thing but gives us such an insight in to the Universe of Roland. This little will of Roland's to be correct and proper, combined with the general gloominess in the room can be a metaphor for his life.I'm really proud of being from a country that has produced this tragical, honest, hilarious and simply genial portrait of this outcast of manhood. "Torsk på Tallinn" is unparalleled in this genre and I'm sorry not more people will get the chance to enjoy it.

One of the best movies ever produced in Sweden.Of all the movies I've ever seen this one stands out as the most unerring description of loneliness. The characters are all incredibly well directed and thought through and they all contribute to the pictures uniqueness as a whole. The movie is about an arranged date-trip to Tallin; 20 some lonely swedes takes the chance in hope to find the love of their life. Even though this movie contains numerous classic one-liners and solid dialog the honest reason of this movies wide popularity (in Sweden of course), especially among the youth, is probably that we are able to laugh at something so tragic. We all fear being single our whole lives and we all fear being in the situation that these men are. It's a comic relief. And it's absolutely brilliant.I sincerely think it's one of the best movies ever.

One of the best mockumentaries ever, my favourite along with "This is Spinal Tap". The title is a word play, it can be read as something akin to "Addicted to Tallinn" but also as "Whoremonger/punter on Tallinn" (and the 'on' is not a grammar error made by me), the latter interpretation being a reference to the plot which involves a busload of Swedish men going to Tallinn to find women.I don't know if it is available internationally with English subtitles but I do hope so, for everyone else. Some of the fun might be lost though since the characters are to some extent based on the social differences (and dialects) between people in different parts of Sweden. It's great to see the actors play different characters. Especially Robert Gustavsson who flawlessly acts such incredibly different characters.

This Swedish movie is a genuine comedy gem. It already has become a cult- movie among my friends. It's a story about a group of single Swedish men who attend an arranged trip to Estland to find themselves love and companionship. Nothing seems to go as planned on this trip. The film builds up to an absolutely chaos at a remote hotel in Talinn. Specially Robert Gustafsson puts out a memorable performance. The film is full of fine details that absolutely cracks you up! I recommend this film to everyone who appreciates good comedy with a tragical twist.I give this film 10/10