Britt-Marie Was Here

Moving on from four decades of dutiful, loveless marriage, a prim 60-something Swedish woman finds a new lease of life as coach to a youth football team in this serio-comic Scandi fable. The gag is that Britt-Marie (Pernilla August) hates the beautiful game - and knows nothing about it - but a remote, cash-strapped community takes her on, and each side proves to have much to learn from the other. The set-up is admittedly a tad contrived and the story's progress somewhat predictable, yet this is such a good-natured affair, it's hard not to surrender to its upbeat charms. There's an understated yet sunnily positive attitude towards multiculturalism, as represented by the gaggle of mixed-race kids on the no-hoper team, while British viewers are sure to be impressed by the near-mythical regard for Liverpool FC even in this far-flung backwater. And in leading lady August (whose storied career runs from Ingmar Bergman to Star Wars to TV's The Investigation), the film has its real star performer, and her deftly measured approach pays strong emotional dividends.