Children's Island (1980)

Children's Island (Swedish: Barnens ö) is a 1980 Swedish drama film directed by Kay Pollak, starring Thomas Fryk and Ingvar Hirdwall. It is based on the novel of the same name by P. C. Jersild. Filming took place between July and October 1979. It won Sweden’s most prestigious film prize, the Guldbagge, when it was released in 1980 and was Sweden’s official selection for the 54th Academy Awards. The film became controversial in Australia, being banned in 2014, over thirty years after its original release.

Synopsis

The story is set in Stockholm where 11-year-old Reine is on the verge of puberty and afraid of sexual maturity. He lives in a suburb with his single mother who sends him to a traditional Swedish summer camp (common at the time of the setting and managed by the cities for children in need of visiting the countryside. The title of the film is the name of the most well-known such camp). His mother then vacations on her own, but in fact Reine never goes to the camp, instead exploring the summer city of Stockholm on his own, meeting many strange adults.

Actors