On December 7, see The Last Journey (Sweden, 2024), Sweden’s selection for Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards! Director Filip Hammar will be present for a film talk and Q&A following the screening, as well as a reception co-presented with Björk Café.
When Lars Hammar retired after 40 years as a French teacher in the small town of Köping, he thought that he and his wife Tiina would enter a new phase of travels, wine, and experiences they’d never had time for. But as for many others, retirement didn’t turn out how they imagined — and over the years Lars fell into a depression, seemingly stuck at home in his Belgian leather armchair, much to the despair of the energetic Tiina.
In a desperate attempt to help his father regain his zest for life, filmmaker Filip Hammar took his dad on a surprise road trip to France, retracing the journey they made every summer during Filip’s childhood. With the help of his best friend and fellow filmmaker Fredrik Wikingsson, Filip aimed to invigorate his dad by reliving some of the best moments of his life. But over the course of their travels and film, the metamorphosis Filip hoped for becomes another — a recognition of the inevitable, and the process of aging. A film about life, death, friendship and a portrait of a humble man and his enduring legacy, The Last Journey (Den sista resan) has been Sweden’s highest-grossing documentary and acclaimed as “life-affirming…humorous and heartbreaking” (Variety).
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Filmmakers, journalists, TV hosts and authors, Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson became best friends in the mid-’90s and have since forged a prolific relationship that has made a distinct mark on Sweden’s media landscape. With over 30 TV and film productions to their name, their distinctive blend of humor, originality, warmth and cultural commentary has earned them multiple awards and a large following.