She Monkeys

Incisive direction and unwavering performances by a non-professional cast lend startling force and psychological exactness to this raw, sexually charged drama of adolescent power play and small-town emotional austerity.

In otherwords She Monkeys is one of those Swedish movies that give Scandinavian movies a bad name. Not in the way they did in the 1970s, but in the way that appeals more to professional film critics rather than audiences.

A more accurate description is:

Immersed in the world of competitive equestrian vaulting, introverted striver Emma and cool, self-assured Cassandra find themselves drawn to each other, first as friends, then as rivals. Meanwhile, Emma’s eight-year-old sister tests out her own understanding of attraction and power as she attempts to seduce her alarmed teenage babysitter.

Because Emma is a silent, brooding, expressionless teenager she becomes boring to watch after a while. Luckily for us, she attracts the attention of both the more photogenic and marginally more outgoing Cassandra and a good looking young policeman. While Emma's silent mind games are interesting they are not riveting. For me the film was saved by Emma's sulky little sister and her attempts to seduce her teenage cousin/babysitter.

To summarise, some parts of the film were interesting, though overall presentation was dull.

Ian's rating 2/5 Anne's rating 2/5