Female Film Critics 24/375
With powerful performances from its young stars and a moving message about the need for connection in a chaotic, undependable world, Mika Gustafson’s engrossing, realistic drama Paradise Is Burning tells the story of three sisters hoping to get by on their own while flying under the radar of the Swedish social services system. But as life tries to force them to grow up too quickly, they also strive to find moments of joy.
Read moreSwedish director/co-writer Mika Gustafson’s incendiary drama is about Laura, Steffi and Mira — three sisters ranging in age from seven to 16 — whose mother abandons them for long stretches of time. The film takes place during one of those stretches of time. Laura, Steffi and Mira are thoroughly believable and tremendously compelling characters. Performances by the three young actresses who portray the girls are flawless. Their story and arc elicit empathy. the film reminds us that even first world countries — like Sweden — that proudly credit themselves as and are considered to be economically privileged and socially conscious welfare democracies, have underprivileged citizens who struggle to keep from falling between the ever increasing cracks.
Read moreSwedish director/co-writer Mika Gustafson’s drama PARADISE IS BURNING, about three young sisters on their own in in Swedish working-class suburbia, shows that it is possible for children to fall between the cracks even in a country with a high-level of social services like Sweden. After the latest disappearance of their unreliable mother months ago, 16-year-old Laura (Bianca Delbravo) has taken on the role of parent to her sisters, 12-year-old Mir a (Dilvin Asaad) and 7-year-old Steffi (Safira Mossberg).
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