Kaisa El Ramly’s debut feature film, ”Flykt och drömmar” (Flights and Dreams), embarks on a familiar road movie journey, yet navigates it with a distinctive tragicomic quirkiness. The film, steeped in Finnish melancholia yet vibrantly colored with eccentric characters, explores themes of loss, grief, and the search for freedom, albeit sometimes stumbling on its path towards emotional resonance. El Ramly sets the stage with a child’s poignant observation, ”You never know where you’re going,” a sentiment that encapsulates the inherent uncertain nature of both life and the road movie genre itself. This uncertainty becomes the driving force as a motley crew of characters embark on their respective journeys, their paths intertwining and diverging along the way.
The film introduces a series of odd pairings, mirroring the opening imagery of a white and a black dove. Two energetic sisters, a comedic duo dressed as Starsky and Hutch, and an elderly couple grieving the loss of their daughter, all occupy their own spaces within the narrative. Among them, Ingela Olsson’s portrayal of a grieving widow stands out, her Swedish nationality and solitary presence setting her apart. She eventually encounters a mysterious hitchhiker, a figure whose unsettling presence evokes echoes of David Lynch and who later confirms himself as Death. This overt symbolism, while perhaps heavy-handed, contributes to the film’s disarmingly straightforward approach.
El Ramly doesn’t shy away from existential questions, embracing aphoristic pronouncements with an almost childlike sincerity. A dog, partaking in hallucinogenic fly agaric mushrooms, contemplates the nature of freedom and happiness, its musings punctuated by jerky camera movements and stop-motion animation. This shift in perspective, offering a glimpse into the dog’s world, contrasts sharply with the static shots of the human characters confined within their cars. The dog, roaming freely through the lush green landscape, embodies a sense of liberation that seems to elude the human travelers trapped within their own emotional confines and the physical limitations of their vehicles. This juxtaposition highlights the film’s central theme: the search for freedom amidst the constraints of grief and loss.
The human characters, however, are far from monotonous. They are a vibrant collection of quirky individuals, each dressed in retro-inspired, almost garishly charming attire. This colorful tapestry, while aesthetically pleasing, serves to mask the underlying darkness of their shared experiences. Beneath the surface of quirky humor and eccentric personalities lies a profound sense of sorrow, a grief that the film attempts to deflect with its comedic elements. This tension between humor and grief is at the heart of the film’s struggle to achieve emotional depth. While the comedic elements provide a temporary distraction, they ultimately hinder the film’s ability to fully explore the profound emotions at play.
At times, the film transcends its comedic facade, offering glimpses of genuine emotional power. A scene where an ambulance driver reaches out to a crash victim trapped in an overturned car exemplifies this. The simple reassurance, ”Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” resonates deeply, suggesting the film’s underlying message of comfort and support. It’s in these moments of raw emotion that ”Flykt och drömmar” reveals its true potential, hinting at a deeper, more resonant film struggling to emerge from beneath the layers of eccentricity. These fleeting moments of sincerity highlight the film’s potential for emotional impact, had it chosen to lean into the gravity of its themes more consistently.
Ultimately, ”Flykt och drömmar” falters in its attempt to balance its whimsical nature with the weight of its subject matter. While the film’s quirky characters and vibrant visuals provide moments of amusement, the overall effect is somewhat disjointed. The comedic elements, while entertaining, often feel at odds with the underlying themes of grief and loss, preventing the film from fully realizing its emotional potential. The film’s ambition to offer both lighthearted entertainment and profound emotional exploration is commendable, but the execution falls short, leaving the audience somewhat emotionally unfulfilled. While the film offers a unique and visually appealing journey, its meandering path and tonal inconsistencies prevent it from reaching the emotional destination it seems to strive for. It leaves the viewer with a sense of unfulfilled potential, a journey that, while visually engaging and occasionally poignant, ultimately fails to reach its intended destination.
