Ethan Hawke stars as Lars Nystrom in Robert Budreau’s ‘Stockholm’
Written by: Jennifer Ortega
The film “Stockholm” begins with the statement, “based on an absurd but true story.” The story that director Robert Budreau is referring to is the origin of the term “Stockholm Syndrome”. On April 23, 1973, escaped convict Jan-Erik Olsson walked into Kreditbanken in central Stockholm with a machine gun. After taking four people hostage, Olsson demanded his friend and current convict Clark Olofsson be brought to him, along with money, 2 guns, bulletproof vests, and a fast car. Olsson treated the hostages well, and they began to bond with him. Days later when the ordeal was finally over, the police were perplexed by the hostages’ affection towards their former captors. Shortly after the bank holdup, the term “Stockholm Syndrome” was coined to refer to the psychological condition where a hostage begins to identify, bond with, and trust their captor.
Isn’t this how every great love affair begins? Ethan Hawke as Lars Nystrom & Noomi Rapace as Bianca Lind.
In Robert Budreau’s film, the names have been changed so have some of the facts, but we are left with a fascinating character study & bizarre love story that is both dark and humorous. The year is 1973. Ethan Hawke is sublime as Lars Nystrom, an American-raised Swede, obsessed with Americana who happens to be an ex-con. Nystrom walks into a bank in Stockholm, machine gun in hand, sporting a fake mustache, cowboy hat, and a leather jacket. Lars is like a hybrid of Burt Reynolds as Bandit in “Smokey & The Bandit” and Peter Fonda as Wyatt in “Easy Rider.”
A getaway car like Steve McQueen’s in ‘Bullitt’
Lars holds up the bank, places a radio playing Bob Dylan on the counter, and lets everyone go except for two hostages, Bianca Lind (Noomi Rapace) & Klara Mardh (Bea Santos). Lars tells Bianca to call the chief of police. Soon he is on the phone with Chief Mattsson (Christopher Heyerdahl) demanding he is brought his friend who is currently incarcerated, Gunnar Sorrenson (Mark Strong), one million dollars and a car similar to the one Steve McQueen drives in “Bullitt.” Once Gunner is delivered to Lars without any cash or a getaway car, a real cat and mouse game begins between Lars & Chief Mattson. At the same time, Bianca and Lars start to bond with one another. He plays her music. He lets her phone her husband. They open up to each other and begin to fall for one another. In fact, all the hostages, including a third hostage, a man that they find hiding in a backroom, all start to trust their captors way more than the police or the Swedish Prime Minister.
BFF’s Gunnar (Mark Strong) & Lars (Ethan Hawke) having a little spat.
I quite enjoyed “Stockholm.” The story was captivating, it was beautifully shot in a muted palette, the acting was excellent, the costumes amazing, the humor dark, and the music, of course, was terrific (I mean it’s Bob Dylan, after all!). The film contained everything I truly enjoy about a smart character piece. The opening shot of the film is a close-up of Noomi Rapace as Bianca in her oversized glasses frames that match the color of her jacket. She’s reflecting back as her voiceover plays over her image. There is something in that shot that reminded of Terrence Malick and more specifically “Badlands.” I love “Badlands,” and if anything in a film large or small makes me think wistfully of Terrence Malick, it is my own little indicator that this is a film that will most likely appeal to me. And “Stockholm” most definitely appealed to me.
