Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

WakenPayne Hmm...I Have Seen A Couple Of Swedish Films So Far, After Being Blown Away By Both Ingmar Bergman's "Seventh Seal" & Tomas Alfredson's "Let The Right One In" And After Completely Giving Up On "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" I Decided To Watch A Swedish Film That Was Up For An Oscar(How The Seventh Seal And Let The Right One In Didn't Win An Oscar Is Beyond Me).Erik Is An Outlaw At His School, He Is Known For Being - As Described By His Teachers - "Evil", His Mother Sends Him Off To Boarding School Suspecting That Will Be What His Step-Father Will Want, When He Gets There He Finds Out That The Older Kids Pick On The Younger Kids, He Takes A Stand Resulting In An Incredible Climax.The Thing That Appealed To Me Is The Fact That This Kid Had One Chance Or He Would've Thrown His Life Away And He Spent It Trying To Fix Up The Boarding School. Another Thing Is The Fact That According To The Author Besides A Few Minor Changes Everything Was True, Kinda Makes Me Regret Complaining About My Schools.This Isn't Exactly The Fantastic Love Story Of "Let The Right One In" Nor Is It The Philosophical Brilliance Of "The Seventh Seal" But It Is A Film Worth Watching.

malone-25 I heard of this movie years ago and just picked it off the shelf at the video store tonight. I was amazed by how thoroughly enthralling and well-crafted this film was. This was a real find.Set in Sweden in the 1950s, "Ondskan" ("Evil") is the story of tough but intelligent teenager Erik. Raised in a middle-class home with a caring and empathetic mother but a violent stepfather, Erik's frustration emerges in schoolyard brawls, which culminate in his being sent away to an upper-crust boarding school.It soon emerges that there a sadistic pecking-order at the school, where the patrician sixth-formers systematically brutalise and humiliate the other students, and with apparent impunity (the staff barely seem to care). The plot's fascinating twist is that Erik, who, by his own admission has been "fighting all his life", cannot resort to physical self-defense because fighting a sixth-former means immediate expulsion, and thus the ruination of his education and prospects. (His mother sold most of her possessions to send him to a private school and the headmaster who expelled him from his previous school told him that no state school would ever take him in.) So how will this young man deal with his predicament? Bubbling away gently in the background is a theme of the aftermath of WWII. At least one of the teachers at the school still adheres to a racist ideal of Aryan supremacy; and even the sixth-form bullies themselves appear to be the residue of an era when Social Darwinism was given very vicious practical expression.It's remarkable how many polished and accomplished cinematic gems there are out there that are just waiting to be discovered. "Evil" is an excellent film: thoughtful; expertly photographed; wonderfully acted by a remarkable young cast; refined in its presentation; and gripping all the way.So - check it out and if you like it, tell your friends. Don't allow this gem of a film to become criminally overlooked!

M A This is a heart-wrenching movie that puts human conscience to the test. At some points of the movie, I thought of stopping it being unable to take it anymore. It makes me think how evil human behaviour can get and sets me thinking whether the events in the movie do happen in real life.What else can be more evil than a mother who does nothing to stop his son from being brutally abused pretending nothing has happened just to maintain her stupid marriage? What else can be more evil than the people who are supposed to be the most respected in society and occupy the moral high ground but indeed sanction the worst form of human abuse and torture pretending that they have seen nothing? I think it is a multi-dimensional movie, about human hypocrisy and parenting, with deeper messages beneath. After watching the movie, I am definitely convinced that the mother is the most evil of all the demons in this film who makes me puke. I am afraid the corollary of growing up in this kind of evil environment is the naturalisation of an innocent soul into yet another human evil, and that in real life there are not many people as firm and steadfast as Erik Ponti.

MartinHafer It is unfortunate that ONDSKAN ("EVIL") came out when it did, as it was narrowly beaten out for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film because it was up against one of the best films in that category that's so far been seen. THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS is a stunning film, but in most other years I think that ONDSKAN would have taken the prize--it was that good a movie.One of the big reasons I was so excited to see this film is that it rarely took the anticipated route--often surprising me because of its intelligently written script. When the film begins, the viewer naturally thinks the evil mentioned in the title is the lead character, Erik. After all, he appears to be a sociopathic sadist as you see him beating a fellow classmate and showing no remorse whatsoever as he's expelled from public school. I hated Erik and I am sure practically everyone watching the film felt the same way. However, out of the blue, you slowly learn that despite his temper, Erik is not above redemption and he actually tries very hard to follow the rules at an exclusive prep school.In fact, the "evil" is referring to the school and the brutal system that is in place. Upper class men are bullies of the worst possible kind and yet despite horrible humiliation and torment, Erik is determined to withstand all the injustices because he wants to get into college and make something of himself. It was amazing how after a short time, you were hoping Erik would be violent and act out on his natural impulses! But instead, he proves he is better than the upper class snobs and fascists who to run roughshod over the younger students.Later, the film takes many interesting twists and turns--most of which you probably won't anticipate--after all, the writing is brilliant and they don't take the cheap or clichéd way regarding the plot. I'd talk about all these great moments, but don't want to ruin it for you. Suffice to say, Erik does have revenge, of sorts, but he's able to also preserve his humanity in the process. Plus, the film really ends well with an implied ending that doesn't need to be seen--trust me on this.About the only negatives are the adultness of the film. While this might be okay for some teens, it's still a very adult film due to some intense violence and a scene involving feces and vomit (it's NOT for the faint-hearted).Great acting, writing and direction--this film is amazing. Give it a watch--but not with the kids, please!!