To manage the madness with the gallows humor is a fairly effective survival strategy. The best example of it right now, it is as much fun as worrying the Netflix series ”Russian doll” where Natalia is stuck in a loop, which means that she continually dies and wakes up again at his own birthday party.

Natasha Lyonnes series are based on their own experiences of growing up with a mentally ill mother whose whims all of the time suspended between the playful and the scarier. Screenwriter Simon Settergren have similar experiences, and the ”King of Atlantis” is all about his relationship with his schizophrenic father. Just as in the ”Russian doll” approach, he the difficult subject with a mixture of hilarious situationskomik and deepest tragedy.

at home, with their father Magnus, who believe that he is the king of the fictional island of Atlantis, spoken of by the Greek philosopher Plato. While his son (whom he appointed his crown prince) work shift in a convenient store in a suburb reigns his kingdom with a trident (a eldgaffel) from their messy apartment. To avoid having to shrug off and repel accidents every day, Simon thoroughly make sure the father takes his medicine.

the Film portrays the complicated relationship between a dysfunctional father and a child in a very loving way.

in Order to be able to take care of his dad, he has been forced to interrupt their studies, and it almost seems as if he’s come to terms with their fate. Not until he meets Cleo (Happy jankell play) awakened his longing to break free to life.

most previously written about the ”King of Atlantis” has been about the long and winding fight to get the film funded and completed. It is therefore pleasing to see that the final movie has become such a touching story about the guilt and shame that many families feel.

much of Åsa Linderborgs book (filmed by Kjell-Åke Andersson 2013) ”Mig äger ingen”. The ”king of Atlantis” presents the complex relationship between a dysfunctional father and a child in a very loving way.

Philip Zandén and Simon Settergren in the ”King of Atlantis”. Photo: People’s bio

Father Magnus is at least as demanding that he is warm while his son a long time ago stuck in a deep codependency. Simon Setterbergs restrained style of play (he plays himself in the film) gives the Philip Zandén, the more space to take out the turns in his interpretation of the father. He vankar and forth in the apartment, talking with krukväxterna, grimaserar and speaks to his subjects from the loftgången.

Usually it is shades of skoven but sometimes land it all unfortunately in a multitude överspel. On the outskirts of the story are the finely depicted the love story between the son and the catalyst Cleo.

in all its tentative valpighet even if Happy jankell play never really find the where, stripped of the tone of his game Setterberg has. The biggest objection is that the arrangements with her father, who deviates and the son who will come out and saves him idisslas some times too much which makes the movie feel long.

But, on the whole, this is still a commendable feature debut that follows the adage that it usually is best if you dig where you stand.

See more. Three other films about mental illness: ”Blind spot” (2018), ”the Girl, the mother and the demons” (2016), ”You make me mad!” (”Silver Linings Playbook”, 2012).

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