Paradise

There is a Swedish saying that claims that if a marriage can survive a rewallpapering job, it can survive anything. Paradise puts this maxim to the test. For the final part of his trilogy about the elderly couple Hans and Kerstin Stralstrom, the originally Polish director Sladkowski takes this household task as his jumping-off point. Hans thinks the living room wall with the lake view could use a more vibrant wallpaper, but Kerstin does not agree. Before long, their difference of opinion results in a strange and futile verbal sparring match. The direct and at times slyly provocative photography intensifies the sharp dialogues with which the spouses compete against one another. In bold supporting roles, the hairdresser and a faithful friend provide a little extra ammo. It does not take long for this single argument to reveal the ups and downs of 60 years of marriage. The telling observations of Hans and Kerstin as individuals, but especially their mutual irritations, worries, and physical affection, produce a comic pas-de-deux that looks somewhat staged, yet comes across as authentic because of the irony.