The Last Sentence

Sweden’s neutrality during WWII is, oddly enough, just the backdrop and not the focus in this, a film that tries to give us a glimpse inside the mind of newspaper editor Torgny Segerstedt (Jesper Christensen). Segerstedt famously wrote columns criticizing Adolf Hitler during his rise to power and during WWII. He also decried Sweden’s staunch neutrality and refusal to take up arms against Nazi Germany. He is, no doubt, a fascinating political figure and a testament to the power of journalism. His articles caused major political uproar. Writer-director Jan Troell botches a chance for an interesting film about Segerstedt’s legacy and the Swedish stance during WWII. Instead, he opts for a film that spends far too much time on Segerstedt’s love life, his dogs and his dead mother. Christensen is solid in the central role. Segerstedt is an interesting figure who, I must admit, I had no knowledge of before I started watching this movie. It would’ve been good to see that performance in something other than a by-the-books investigation of infidelity and aging. For God’s sakes, WWII is starting to break out, and we are seriously supposed to care about who the dude is sleeping with and what his mother would’ve thought? Give me a break.