“The Hayseed” – some thoughts after a rainy Thursday night

So, “The Hayseed” then. Think I picked the shortest straw to write about this one or what? But jokes aside, you know when Stefan Sauk pops up in a movie you at least get something to talk about. With Bo Widerberg’s cousin’s nephew (is that even a thing?) in the director’s chair, you get those slow, kind-of-poetic shots of fields that make you wanna run out and roll in hö, even if you’re as allergic as I am.

I’ll be honest, halfway through I got this weird flashback to that one disastrous midsummer in Värmland – rain pouring down, Jonas and me stuck in a barn with only a VHS of “Jönssonligan på Mallorca” and like five cans of beer. “The Hayseed” has that same feeling, all itchy jumpers and longing. But not in a bad way! More like when someone serves you burnt princess cake and somehow it tastes… nostalgic?

Malin Åkerman kills it as the lost city girl – swearing in a way that’d make my gamla mormor toss her knäckebröd across the room. And Fredrik Hallgren is, yeah, Fredrik Hallgren – one minute a potato, next minute you’re crying because he just found his dead dad’s accordion.

Some jokes land, some… you get kind of secondhand embarrassment, like when you’re at a cousin’s confirmation and the priest tries stand-up. There’s a weird comfort in the awkward bits.

You’ll probably see echoes of “A Simple Plan” and “Smala Sussie” if you’re a filmnörd. Big Swe satire but with that little pinch of real warmth, kind of like a tub of loose candy after ICA’s been raided by sockerdrivna barn.

Should you watch it? If you’ve ever argued with your släktingar over the last cinnamon bun at påsk, absolutely. If not, watch it anyway. Maybe you’ll get what the fuss is about. Or maybe you just need a reason to eat cinnamon buns alone.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

please note that there may be geographical blocking implemented.