Being Bo Widerberg is a fascinating look at this flawed heavyweight of the Nordic film scene. To fully appreciate his genius audiences should also see Raven's End and Ådalen 31 which are also being shown as part of the Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival 2026.
Being Bo Widerberg screens as part of the Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival 2026, more information about the festival is available here:
https://www.palacenova.com.au/events/hurtigruten-nordic-film-festival-2026
Read the Glam Adelaide story about the festival here: Glam Adelaide – Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival 2026
Bo Widerberg had an enormous influence on Nordic cinema. In the 1960s, as a reaction against filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman, Widerberg was the founder of the Swedish New Wave which was very much inspired by the French New Wave and sought to make films that championed working-class stories, political engagement, and visual naturalism. In 1962, Widerberg published a book entitled ‘The Vision in Swedish Film’ in which he was critical of the abstract, inward-looking, studio-bound nature of the then Nordic cinema. In pursuit of this new direction, Widerberg made innovative films like The Baby Carriage and Raven’s End. Raven’s End and another of Widerberg’s films of that time, Ådalen 31, are also being shown in the Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival 2026. Widerberg’s focus on social-realist themes with deeply romantic and visual lyricism as in Elvira Madigan along with fluid camera movements, the inclusion of classical music and realistic dialogue heavily influenced international art-house cinema.
In Being Bo Widerberg directors Mattias Nohrborg and Jon Asp outline Wilderberg’s journey from Malmö in the 1960s where he was initially a promising writer to him becoming an internationally renowned director working in Stockholm and later in New York. It includes actual archival interview material with Widerberg, as well as interviews with long term collaborators like Thommy Berggren, who appeared in most of Widerberg’s films, and includes testimonies by Lisa Langseth, Ruben Östlund, Lars von Trier, Mia Hansen-Løve and Olivier Assayas. They also look at his long and successful association with his Cannes Film Festival wins which include a Best Actress prize, a jury prize and a Grand Prix.
However, Being Bo Widerberg is not just an affirmation of his work, it also looks at the man himself by interviewing past wives and partners and discussing his many affairs and his infidelity. It also looks at the state of his mental health especially in his later years where the swings of mania and depression meant that for long periods he worked at a frenetic pace or not at all. In addition, it doesn’t sugar coat that as director he was a demanding taskmaster.
Being Bo Widerberg will probably appeal mostly to film nerds, but it is also a fascinating look at this flawed heavyweight of the Nordic film scene. To fully appreciate his genius audiences should also see Raven’s End and Ådalen 31 which are also being shown as part of the Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival 2026.
Reviewed by Rob McKinnon
Rating 4.5 out of 5
Distributor: Palace Film
