The Slingshot () is a Swedish drama film which was released to cinemas in Sweden on 24 September 1993, starring Jesper Salén, Stellan Skarsgård and Basia Frydman. Directed by Åke Sandgren, the film was based on Roland Schütt's 1989 autobiographical novel of the same name (translates to "The Condom Slingshot").
Plot
Roland (Salén) is the 12-year-old son of a Russian Jewish mother (Frydman) and a socialist father (Skarsgård), coming of age in 1920s Stockholm. Due to his family's background, he has become an outcast to those around him, a constant target of bullying by his peers, and often humiliated and physically punished by a sadistic schoolteacher (Ernst-Hugo Järegård) in front of classmates. In retaliation against his tormentors, Roland steals condoms from his mother's tobacco shop inventory and turns them into crude slingshot weapons. He also falls in love with a neighbourhood girl (Frida Hallgren), but as Roland attempts to toughen up and improve his troubled life, he also allies with the wrong group of friends and inadvertently makes himself a juvenile offender.
Shooting
Most outdoor scenes were shot in Prague as the Stockholm townscape at the time was considered to have undergone too many changes to depict the 1920s.
Cast
Jesper Salén as Roland Schütt
Stellan Skarsgård as Fritiof Schütt
Basia Frydman as Zipa Schütt
Niklas Olund as Bertil Schütt
Ernst-Hugo Järegård as Teacher Lundin
Ernst Günther as Principal
Axel Düberg as Inspector Gissle
Reine Brynolfsson as Hinke Berggren
Heinz Hopf as Shoe salesman
Frida Hallgren as Margit
Tomas Norström as Boxing Trainer
Ing-Marie Carlsson as Karin Adamsson
Rolf Lassgård as Prisoner
Reception
The Danish-Swedish production has an 89% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. AllMovie critic Clarke Fountain called the film an "affectionate, richly detailed portrait", while film critic James Berardinelli gave the film three and a half out of four stars and called it "a wonderful mix of tragedy, humor, and triumph." Conversely, the Washington Post had an unfavorable view of the movie and called the story "a catalogue of catastrophes that surely left the real protagonist with many emotional scars."
At the 29th Guldbagge Awards the film won the award for Best Film. Åke Sandgren was nominated for both Best Director and Best Screenplay, while Basia Frydman was nominated for Best Actress.
The film was the Swedish submission to the 66th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not make nomination.