Review of Patrik, Age 1.5 (2008) by Evan H — 07 Jan 2011

"Patrik Age 1.5" is about a gay married couple in Sweden who settle down in the suburbs to adopt a child. After being rejected a number of times by foreign countries that don't allow gay people to adopt, they are informed that they are able to adopt a Swedish boy named Patrik, who according to their letter is 1 year old and 5 months. As they prepare for a baby, they realise that it was in fact a typo: Patrik is a 15 year old boy who is very troubled and very homophobic. "Patrik Age 1.5" is yet another good example of how a seemingly generic premise can be turned into a wonderful movie through the use of a strong cast, tight directing and good cinematography. The two standouts were Gustaf Skarsgard as Goran and of course, Tom Ljungman as Patrik. Skarsgard gave a brilliant performance and several times in the film, I felt so bad for his character. The same thing can be said for Patrik, who really is misunderstood and has never truly known what it's like to have a loving family. We've seen that character done a number of times before, but Ljungman gives it humanity that makes it so much more believable.

Probably one of the best aspects of the movie was that it gave the audience credit. After hearing the premise, you'd expect it to be silly and predictable. After all, as some other critics have pointed out, one of the things that makes the film work so much is its unexpected twists. I also love how the dialogue was simple and to the point. There were several moments that could've been dumbed down with a bad one liner, but instead this director understands that showing something is much more powerful. For example, there's a brilliant scene in which Goran is apologizing to one of his neighbours who is having a party. When he knocks on their door, it's really clear that they didn't invite him (although they try to hide it), but instead of one of the characters saying it, it's all shown.

While I did love the film, it wasn't perfect. My biggest problem was with Sven, who seemed to be pretty underdeveloped compared to Goran. When they have their temporary break up, Sven says that he was never ready to have a child in the first place, but then he has a sudden change of heart near the end of the movie. The thing is, if two people have incompatible goals, that's not a good sign. I also didn't like how Goran was so quick to forgive him for saying something which is (in my book) a deal-breaker. In fact, for a while I was hoping they wouldn't end up together. While the ending was fine, I do think they should've written in more evidence to show that the two of them were ultimately right for each other.

Another thing that could be perceived as a flaw (but didn't bother me that much) is that the film is advertised as a comedy. While there are funny parts in it, I would say that it's mostly a drama that doesn't always take itself too seriously. It may be funny, but it's not exactly a non-stop laugh riot. It's sort of like "Funny People" in that respect.

As a whole, the film in general is really worth watching. Yes, there are faults in it, but the positives outweigh the negatives too much for it to be called anything other than fantastic. I would advise as many people as possible to watch it, but don't expect to be laughing non-stop like in other comedies. Just watch it expecting an indie dramedy and you'll enjoy it.