Of Seals and Men + The Girls
The Girls
Hailed as a “milestone of feminist cinema,” The Girls is an angry manifesto wrapped in biting humor. Formally innovative and blurring the line between art and life, the film follows three actresses performing in Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. The ancient play – about women rebelling against men and their wars – becomes a mirror reflecting the struggles of the contemporary heroines. Portrayed by Harriet Andersson, Bibi Andersson, and Gunnel Lindblom, the actresses from a touring theater company face unhappy marriages and affairs, torn between their careers and home lives, and dismissed by the men in power.
The Girls is a bold social satire, a sharp political commentary, and a dazzling display of surreal imagination. Unerring in its diagnosis of social issues and the internal conflicts of its characters, Mai Zetterling’s film tells the story of a desire for freedom and of artists trying to find their own voice in a world of pressure and expectations. Unsurprisingly, this call for anti-bourgeois, feminist revolt – so daring in its frankness about female sexuality – was largely dismissed by the male-dominated critics of its time. One of the rare positive reviews came from Simone de Beauvoir. Today, The Girls is Zetterling’s most frequently screened work and an essential part of Swedish cinema history.
Małgorzata Sadowska
Mai Zetterling (1925–1994) was a Swedish actress, director, and screenwriter. She began her career as an actress and gained international recognition for her role in Torment (1944), directed by Alf Sjöberg. In the 1960s, she turned to directing, exploring themes such as loneliness and sexuality in her films. Her debut feature, Loving Couples (1964), sparked controversy at the Cannes Film Festival due to its bold depiction of sexuality.
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April 11, 2025
7:45 PM
Iluzjon Mała Czarna
Intro
DCP
Tytuł angielski: The Girls
Tytuł oryginalny: Flickorna
Język: szwedzki
Napisy: polskie, angielskie
Sekcja: Mai Zetterling: buntowniczka z wyboru
Reżyseria: Mai Zetterling
Czas trwania: 100 min
Rok produkcji: 1968
Kraj produkcji: Sweden
Właściciel praw: Swedish Film Institute
Of Seals and Men
Mai Zetterling’s directorial career began with documentaries, a form she would return to throughout her 30-year career. Of Seals and Men, filmed in Greenland, is a particularly unique example. Commissioned by a Danish government agency, the film breaks free from the constraints of state propaganda, instead highlighting the question of Greenland’s autonomy – a territory dependent on Denmark. It also sparked considerable controversy, as it stood in opposition to the high-profile anti-seal hunting campaign led by Brigitte Bardot, who at the time was demanding an end to the slaughter of seals in the Canadian Arctic.
For Zetterling, however, the issue at stake was not merely one of ethics, but also of local Inuit traditions and economics. Visually stunning, the documentary not only captures the complex, almost “military” choreography of this brutal ritual, but also tells a story of men – alienated, obsessed, and consumed, as is often the case in Zetterling’s work. The film is also remarkable for another reason: women rarely participated in such projects – harsh, physically demanding expeditions into the Arctic.
Małgorzata Sadowska
Tytuł angielski: Of Seals and Men
Tytuł oryginalny: Of Seals and Men
Reżyseria: Mai Zetterling
Czas trwania: 30 min
Rok produkcji: 1981
Kraj produkcji: Sweden
Produkcja: Sandrew Film & Teater AB
Obsada: Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson, Gunnel Lindblom
Scenariusz: Mai Zetterling, David Hughes
Zdjęcia: Rune Ericson
Montaż: Wic’ Kjellin
Muzyka: Michael Hurd
Kostiumy: Ulla-Britt Söderlund
Scenografia: Charles Delattre
Dekada: 1960.
Edycja: TFFW 2025
