A poetic and existential look from the inside at the Swedish gang wars — by a director who grew up among them
80 min.
Documentary
6 november ONLINE. from 00:00 to 23:59
G - 21 scenes from Gottsunda
Dir. Loran Batti | Sweden, Denmark | 2024
debut
A poetic and existential look from the inside at the Swedish gang wars — by a director who grew up among them
80 min.
Documentary
6 november ONLINE. from 00:00 to 23:59
"Not everyone can be Zlatan Ibrahimović," say the hustlers from Gottsunda, a suburb of Uppsala and one of Sweden's most dangerous places, where drugs, violence, and street gangs are the everyday norm. The football star is a role model for these boys from the ghetto: he, too, is from the Balkans, and he, too, spent his childhood in Malmö's troubled neighborhood. But for every Ibrahimović, there are hundreds of ordinary guys who end up spending their lives between home and prison. Some get a bit luckier, like director Loran Batti, who managed to escape the destructive environment of Gottsunda through sports and creativity. While he seeks his own path, his childhood friends are sinking deeper into the criminal world. "G — 21 scenes from Gottsunda" is his personal, unfiltered look at the problem of gang violence in Swedish suburbs, usually hidden from outsiders behind the veil of Scandinavian welfare. This painful portrait of his hometown was created over the course of five years with great love and concern for bros, whose deaths may be announced by a single phone call at any moment. Not everyone can be Zlatan Ibrahimović, but what about the rest?
The film depicts an unpredictable environment in which many of the people might be at risk if their identities are reveled. In respect of this reality the filmmakers have blurred many of the faces in the film.
"Not everyone can be Zlatan Ibrahimović," say the hustlers from Gottsunda, a suburb of Uppsala and one of Sweden's most dangerous places, where drugs, violence, and street gangs are the everyday norm. The football star is a role model for these boys from the ghetto: he, too, is from the Balkans, and he, too, spent his childhood in Malmö's troubled neighborhood. But for every Ibrahimović, there are hundreds of ordinary guys who end up spending their lives between home and prison. Some get a bit luckier, like director Loran Batti, who managed to escape the destructive environment of Gottsunda through sports and creativity. While he seeks his own path, his childhood friends are sinking deeper into the criminal world. "G — 21 scenes from Gottsunda" is his personal, unfiltered look at the problem of gang violence in Swedish suburbs, usually hidden from outsiders behind the veil of Scandinavian welfare. This painful portrait of his hometown was created over the course of five years with great love and concern for bros, whose deaths may be announced by a single phone call at any moment. Not everyone can be Zlatan Ibrahimović, but what about the rest?
The film depicts an unpredictable environment in which many of the people might be at risk if their identities are reveled. In respect of this reality the filmmakers have blurred many of the faces in the film.