Den svenska torpeden The Swedish Torpedo
World War II is around the corner, but the only thing Sally Bauer can think of is the ocean. Her dream is to swim across the English Channel. Her father has tried to exorcise her obsession with swimming since she was a toddler, without success.
An unwanted pregnancy forces her to abandon her dream – and herself. The child’s father does not want to be involved, so as a woman in the ‘30s in Sweden, Sally has no choice but to do what is expected of her: to be a mother. There is no place left for her dreams and Sally is pulled into bottomless darkness, until her sister Carla saves her. With renewed purpose, together the sisters begin to dismantle the conventions they are constantly facing.
In late August 1939, Sally stands on the shore at Dover and takes her first step into the English Channel. She swims across the open and icy sea for 15 hours, waving to the Navy who are readying for war. A couple of days after Sally swims ashore at Calais, Poland is invaded.
Reviews
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“The Swedish Torpedo, a deeply affecting sports docudrama about a little known feminist icon, director Frida Kempff brings inspiration and human complexity./…/ The Swedish Torpedo is exhilarating and heartfelt. Kempff and co-writer Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten establish an authentic emotional connection to Sally’s dreams and sadness. The film delves into the darkness of motherhood and autonomy on levels only caregivers can begin to understand. /…/ Josefin Neldén is utterly mesmerizing as Sally Bauer. ”
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“Frida Kempff’s buoyant, self-willed, defiant biopic is a masterpiece. A visceral, raw, and dynamically-shot production, The Swedish Torpedo doesn’t hold back. It might only be September, but it might not be too early to call The Swedish Torpedo the film of the year. With soaring acting, cutthroat direction, and an intense script that keeps you on your toes, The Swedish Torpedo feels as important as its subject matter. /…/ Frida Kempff’s direction is vicious, precise, and sincerely mesmerizing, putting you in Bauer’s shoes and, all at once, still separating you from her.”
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“The push/pull dynamic between motherhood and achieving one’s own dreams has plagued women for years. For some women, life as a mother and caregiver gives them satisfaction. For others, their justified ambition allows them to achieve far beyond the limits of societal structures meant to limit a woman’s power. Rather than essentialize Bauer as a single kind of woman, Kempff forces The Swedish Torpedo to consider the complete context of her protagonist’s life./…/ The Swedish Torpedo could easily be an overwrought drama with too many dramatic monologues to count. Instead, it’s a masterclass in subtlety. /…/ These are the kinds of sports films we need in 2024.”
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“In Josefin Neldén, Kempff has found just the right and versatile person to play Bauer, portraying the loving, if hardly ideal, mother, the girlish paramour of her son’s two-timing, already-married father (a boyish Mikkel Boe Følsgaard), and the downright steampunk aquatic daredevil, smeared in muddy oil, with sturdy, oversized goggles in place – an emancipated 1930s female who truly perfected her special chops in life.”
- Director
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Frida Kempff
- Premiere
- 2024
- Genre
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- Drama
