Gränsen (2011)

Gränsen: Directed by Richard Holm. With André Sjöberg, Martin Wallström, Antti Reini, Marie Robertson. December 1942. Two young soldiers leave their post at check-point 83 in Northern Värmland, Sweden, and make their way through the ice cold winter-night towards the border of Nazi-occupied Norway. Sweden stands on the brink of invasion and the soldiers want to see the enemy everybody’s talking about. But the adventure ends in disaster and the following day Lieutenant Aron Stenström finds out that his brother Sven is one of the missing soldiers. With the odds against him, he is forced to go on a secret rescue mission behind enemy lines. Deep in the Norwegian forest Aron realizes that a completely different kind of line must be crossed if they’re to come out alive.

“During WWII Sweden was in a difficult position. Blockaded by Germany but also sympathetic to the plight of its neighbours in Norway and Finland. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis film in a modest way delves into the Swedenu0026#39;s role in the war with a tale of Swedish soldiers crossing the border to recover their people who have been captured on German controlled, Norwegian soil.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is ultimately an action film but it also touches on conflicting attitudes on the part of Swedes towards the war. Some want to stay neutral, others take action against Germany, some even support the Germans as the lesser of two evils; Nazism vs Communism. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBeyond the Boarder does a good job of showing the impact of war on Swedish soldiers who, for the most part, have little or no combat experience. It contrasts their initial naive enthusiasm for joining the conflict and their dawning understanding of the harsh realities of war. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn most respects this is a decent film, its competently directed, acted and utilizes good sets and backdrops. That said, I did feel, at times, the story was a little disjointed and the character development somewhat limited. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNonetheless, this film is a mostly worthwhile watch and a refreshing departure from the standard fare that comes out of the US/UK. Seven out of ten from me.”