Simon and the Oaks

Sweden, 1940. Simon, the adopted son of a working-class couple, finds it difficult to cope with his father's strict discipline. After being accepted to the best school in town, he meets Isak, the son of wealthy German-Jewish refugees. When the Nazis invade Denmark and Norway and the Swedish army is called to its borders, Simon's mother decides to invite Isak to be their guest. Thus, while Simon distances himself from his family and finds shared interests with Isak's father, Isak undergoes the parallel experience, finding a father figure in Simon's father. This period drama by Lisa Ohlin is based upon the successful novel Simon and the Oaks by Marianne Fredriksson. While historical events are present here, they play a secondary role, with primary emphasis upon the emotional worlds of the protagonists. The exquisite use of nature, careful reconstruction of period furnishings, and refined acting of the two boys in the main roles give Simon and the Oaks its dramatic power.