The Frame

Ingemar is a 12-year-old boy whose mother is dying; he and his brother tend to be disruptive, so they’re separated and sent to live with other family members to give the mother a chance to rest. Ingemar goes to a small town and befriends the local denizens: an infirm old man, a beautiful young woman, a boy with unnaturally blonde/green hair, and especially the tomboy who fears her growing breasts will reveal her gender and force her off the football team. It’s not hard to add Anton Glanzelius as Ingemar to my list of great child performances–he captures the joys and pains of his situation very well. I do find the emphasis on sexuality to be a little disturbing, especially among such young children, but the film is still worth watching for Glanzelius’ performance and director Lasse Hallstrom’s convincing slice-of-life realist style.
Above Average