How do you experience love when you are 19, 35 or 70? The Swedish author, director and actress Josephine Bornebusch wanted to tell a story about it. The result was a successful series.
Berlin – It’s winter in Sweden’s capital Stockholm. A family of father, son and daughter lives here, albeit separately from each other. Due to different circumstances, all three get into a real chaos of emotions almost at the same time.
This can be seen in the six-part mini-series “Simply Love – Online Dates and New Beginnings”, which runs this Friday from 11.45 p.m. on Das Erste.
There is father Sten (Johan Ulveson), who – after an accident – very sick and melancholy wife Kersti (Ia Langhammer) takes care of himself – up to and including dressing and applying lipstick. The consistently friendly and courteous man plans a luxurious trip for her 40th wedding anniversary and to relax for both of them – but she dies shortly before that. With a heavy heart, Sten decides to go on the trip alone and gets to know the cheerful Anita (Görel Crona) better.
Meanwhile, his son Aron (Gustav Lindh) believes he has found the woman for life in the eccentric DJane Elsa (Dilan Gwyn) – but there are big differences in their life plans. His older sister Clara (Josephine Bornebusch) is in her late 30s and very successful as a senior physician, has had enough of many dates with strange men – and unexpectedly falls in love with the attractive neighbor Peter (Sverrir Gudnason). But she’s struggling to be in a relationship with a man who works as an adored model and already has a teenage son.
All three experience a true rollercoaster ride of their feelings, their moods fluctuate between sky-high exultation and deeply saddened. Their stories are all told compassionately and played in a rousing manner – all characters are finely drawn and depicted in a believable way. You can see completely normal scenes from everyday life, some of them banal and some touching. Love can be complicated – but it’s actually quite simple. According to this motto, people love, argue and drink, trust, mistrust and even marry here.
Leading actress Josephine Bornebusch (40, “Solsidan”, “Welcome to Sweden”) wrote the script and also directed it. She did both of these brilliantly, and in the role of Clara, who was initially brittle and rather exhausting, she was able to convince all around. This is especially true for Johan Ulveson as a widower, who still talks to his deceased wife, but is learning to blossom again. The dialogues are taken from real life, nothing seems exaggerated or embarrassing. The protagonists talk a lot – and sometimes very quickly – but there is still enough space for quiet moments.
Phases of sadness (which do not pass so quickly) and moments of happiness (which often pass far too quickly) are shown touching and impressively. The entertaining Swedish series is up to date and shows how important it is to try something new sometimes – even if you are afraid of it. It is important to recognize and enjoy the precious moments in life – because unfortunately holding on is not possible. dpa
