Bara prata lite (AKA Talk)

Dir: Lukas Moodysson

1997

****

I have always believed (well, since film school anyway) that a good short film should have an ambiguous meaning, a conclusion that is open to interpretation, that is why I loved Lukas Moodysson's 1997 short Bara prata lite (Talk). It's fairly dark and disturbing, inscribed with Moodysson's now familiar signature. It follows a guy who, even though retired, still visits the place where he used to work and calls people on the phone that he doesn't know that well, desperate for conversation. When a missionary calls round one day he greets her with enthusiasm and invites her into his home. After a short while his mood changes, is it his isolation that has caused him to forget how to speak to people, or is this is true nature that has laid dormant during many years of loneliness. Somehow, even though he is particularly nasty, you still have a glimmer of sympathy for him, making it a compelling but uncomfortable film to watch. Sten Ljunggren’s performance is very strong, he would go on to star in further Moodysson projects including his second feature Together in 2000, where he reprised the role of Birger.