She Monkeys
2011 · Sweden · 84 min
- Director
- Lisa Aschan
- Screenplay
- Josefine Adolfsson, Lisa Aschan
- Producer
- Helene Lindholm
- Music
- Sami Sänpäkkilä
- Cinematography
- Linda Wassberg
- Editing
- Kristofer Nordin
- Production company
- Atmo Produktion
What the critics say
89 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviewsCast
What it is about
Two teenage girls who practice equestrian vaulting, an acrobatic discipline performed on a moving horse, become locked in a psychological struggle for dominance within their group. The film follows the growing tension between them in a demanding environment where the body, discipline and rivalry become intertwined.
How it was made
She Monkeys was made as part of the Swedish Film Institute's Rookie Project, a funding scheme open only to first-time feature directors. Its inspirations included a picture of Shirley Temple and Georges Bataille's 1928 novella Story of the Eye. Casting the lead actresses took four months, since the performers had to act convincingly and handle physically demanding roles, and much of the cast had no professional training. Linda Wassberg served as cinematographer.
Reception and legacy
The film premiered at the Gothenburg Film Festival in January 2011 and then screened in Berlin, Tribeca and Karlovy Vary. Alissa Simon of Variety called it one of the most intense and complex Swedish debuts since Show Me Love. In Gothenburg it won the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film and the FIPRESCI prize; at Tribeca it received the award for Best Narrative Feature; and Linda Wassberg won Best Cinematography at the Transilvania International Film Festival.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
A programme for debut directors
The film was produced under the Swedish Film Institute's Rookie Project, which supports only directors making their feature debut.
A photo and a novel as starting points
Among its inspirations were a picture of Shirley Temple and Georges Bataille's novella Story of the Eye.
Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.