Beyond Dreams


Beyond Dreams is a 2017 drama film directed by Rojda Sekersöz and written by Johanna Emanuelsson. The film stars Evin Ahmad as Mirja, a young woman recently released from prison, who is torn between her lifelong friends and her struggling family. and Annika Hellström produced Beyond Dreams through their company, 2afilm, with financial support from Filmpool Nord, STHLM Debut, and the Swedish Film Institute.
Emanuelsson and Sekersöz, both graduates of the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts, developed the film together after being approached by the producers. It served as Emanuelsson's debut as a screenwriter and Sekersöz's debut as a feature film director. Filming took place during the summer of 2016 in Alby, Botkyrka and in Luleå. It was described by the creators as a political work that explored themes of friendship, loyalty, and identity. The film has also been analysed as a commentary on caregiving and motherhood within the Swedish welfare state.
It premiered on 28 January 2017 at the Gothenburg Film Festival, before a theatrical release in Sweden on 17 March. In addition to opening the Lübeck Nordic Film Days festival on 1 November, it was also screened at Berlin Feminist Film Week and at TIFF Next Wave in Toronto the following year. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for the direction, writing, and the cast's performances, especially Ahmad's. Beyond Dreams was listed as one of the ten best Swedish films of 2017 by film editors at Dagens Nyheter. It won several awards, including the Church of Sweden's Film Prize, the Audience Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film, and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Norwegian International Film Festival. Sekersöz earned a Guldbagge Newcomer Award for her work on the film. Ahmad and Erdogan were both recognized with Guldbagge nominations, for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, respectively.

Plot

After being released from prison, Mirja is greeted by younger half-sister Isa and her close-knit group of friends: Sarah, Emmy, and Nina. Mirja was jailed after being caught in the group's failed robbery, a plan hatched so they can move to Montevideo. The group plots another heist, this time targeting a jewelry store. Mirja moves back home and clashes with her mother Sirkka, who gives her an ultimatum to sort out her life. Despite the planned robbery, Mirja secretly looks for legitimate work. Frustrated by bureaucratic red tape at the employment assistance center, she approaches hotel owner Paul Lilja directly, who offers her a trial job washing dishes. Mirja discovers a letter revealing Sirkka has advanced COPD.
After a promising start in the kitchen, Paul offers Mirja a permanent position in room service. The job offers higher pay, but he wants to pay her under the table. She accepts, begins working with Edit, and learns to take pride in her work. Her friends show up to the hotel to confront her. Sarah mocks her for cleaning up after rich people, and the two nearly get into a physical fight.
Once Sirkka is admitted to the hospital, Mirja has no choice but to covertly bring Isa to work with her. On impulse, she applies a guest's false eyelashes. Unbeknownst to her, Isa also steals an expensive watch. The guest returns unexpectedly and sees Mirja wearing her eyelashes. Paul fires Mirja and refuses to pay her for the last several days of work. At home, Sirkka finds the watch and assumes Mirja stole it, culminating in a violent argument where Sirkka kicks Mirja out of the house.
Desperate and now homeless, Mirja confronts Paul, returning the watch and again pleading for her job back. He refuses; she attacks him. After crossing paths with a betrayed Edit, she leaves. Mirja sees her old friends partying and crashes their night out, getting belligerently drunk. Sarah intervenes, and the group lets her stay with them to sleep off her hangover. They pressure her to decide if she will participate in the jewelry store heist. Mirja agrees, but backs out the last minute as she sees Isa walking alone at night. Isa reveals Sirkka has been re-admitted to the hospital. They go to her, but Sirkka dies. Setting aside their recent conflicts, Mirja's friends support her at the funeral. Afterwards, Mirja breaks down in tears, as Isa and her friends comfort her.
Despite Mirja not following through with the heist, Sarah surprises her with tickets to Montevideo, for both her and Isa. Mirja declines, choosing to stay and care for her sister and stating she does not want to run from her past. The two end on good terms. In the final scene, Mirja and Isa enjoy each other's company on a rooftop.

Cast

  • Evin Ahmad as Mirja: a young woman recently released from prison
  • Gizem Erdogan as Sarah: Mirja's friend
  • as Emmy: Mirja's friend
  • Segen Tesfai as Nina: Mirja's friend
  • Ella Åhman as Isa: Mirja's younger half-sister; aspiring social media influencer
  • Outi Mäenpää as Sirkka: Mirja and Isa's mother with advanced COPD
  • as Edit: Mirja's room service coworker at the hotel
  • Michael Lindgren as Paul Lilja: hotel owner

    Production

Development

The producers of Flocking — and Annika Hellström — approached screenwriter Johanna Emanuelsson about writing a feature film. She suggested Rojda Sekersöz as director, and the duo then began working on ideas. Sekersöz and Emanuelsson knew each other through Revolutionary Communist Youth and both had graduated from the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts. Beyond Dreams served as Sekersöz's debut as a feature film director and Emanuelsson's debut as a screenwriter. Sekersöz previously worked with lead actress Evin Ahmad before she was cast in Beyond Dreams. In an interview with Nordic Women in Film, Fägerstrom said that Beyond Dreams was inspired by La Haine.
The project was announced in 2016 as a "coming-of-age film about adult women", with support from Filmpool Nord and STHLM Debut. The budget was 10.2 million SEK, with Fagerström characterising the film as a low-budget project. 4.5 million SEK of funding came from the Swedish Film Institute. Beyond Dreams was produced through 2afilm, a company co-founded by Fagerström and Hellström. It was the second feature by 2afilm; their first was Flocking.

Filming, post-production, and music

The film was set in Alby, Botkyrka; it was filmed both there and in Luleå, for 10 and 22 days, respectively, during the summer of 2016. Some scenes were shot at the. While filming at the hotel, a fog machine associated with the production triggered a fire alarm, but the fire department was not needed. Gabriel Mkrttchian served as the director of photography. Linda Jildman and Hanna Storby edited the film.
, who had previously won a Guldbagge for Best Original Score for her work on the 2afilm-produced Flocking, composed the score. The soundtrack also featured "Easy" by Seinabo Sey, as well as two songs by Melina Florides: "This Time" and "If It Takes Two."

Themes

Beyond Dreams was noted for its focus on female friendship. The crux of the film was described as Mirja having to decide where her loyalty lies: with her sick mother and sister, or with her lifelong friends. Sekersöz identified themes of friendship, loyalty, and identity. Both Sekersöz and Emanuelsson characterised it as a political film. In an interview with the communist newspaper Proletären, they said their work was intended to question the idea that people can succeed simply through their own willpower, without interference from other systemic factors or conditions. This perspective was criticised by Carolin Dahlman in Kristianstadsbladet, who argued that poverty should not be used as an excuse for criminal behaviour.
The film had a thematic focus on caregiving and motherhood. In a chapter of the anthology Media Work, Mothers and Motherhood, Maria Jansson and Louise Wallenberg analysed the messages of Beyond Dreams, focusing on how once Mirja becomes responsible for taking care of Isa due to Sirkka's hospitalisation, she begins to face new problems that ultimately culminate in her losing her job. They concluded the film "challenges the notion that the conflict between mothering and care has been solved by the welfare state." It was also discussed alongside Paradise Place, as both films sparked discussion about the relationship between women and the welfare state. Jansson and Malte Breiding Hansen wrote that the response to Beyond Dreams, which was released 40 years after Paradise Place, illustrated how the neoliberal belief in individual social mobility had become increasingly prominent in cultural discourse.

Release

The film premiered on 28 January 2017 at the Gothenburg Film Festival, before its Swedish theatrical release on 17 March. The distributor for the Swedish release was NonStop Entertainment. It also had a premiere in Germany, opening the Lübeck Nordic Film Days festival on 1 November. Pluto Film managed global distribution.
In 2018, Beyond Dreams was screened at Berlin Feminist Film Week and at TIFF Next Wave in Toronto.

Reception

Critical response

On the Swedish review aggregator website Kritiker, the film earned an average rating of 4.0/5 based on 15 critics' reviews. Dagens Nyheter film editors and Nicholas Wennö described Beyond Dreams as one of the ten best Swedish films of 2017, at number five. It was also listed as being among the best films of the year by Sydsvenskan critic Malin Krutmeijer.
Sekersöz's direction was positively received by critics. In a review for Dagens Nyheter, Lindblad wrote the film was a "powerful debut" that represented "female experiences of complex sisterhood and caregiving demands in a wonderfully cliché-free and weightless way." of Sveriges Radio praised both the direction and Emanuelsson's script. However, other reviewers critiqued the narrative and storytelling. Kristoffer Viita of SVT Nyheter felt Beyond Dreams suffered somewhat from a "sprawling" plot and lack of development for Mirja's friends, but credited Sekersöz's attention to detail for elevating the film. In a somewhat mixed review for Svenska Dagbladet, Karoline Eriksson criticised certain plot twists as overly simplistic, but praised the "liberating" depiction of young women from immigrant backgrounds without focusing on gender issues, boyfriends, or physical abuse.
Ahmad's performance as Mirja was critically acclaimed and later described as her definitive breakthrough role. Gizem Erdogan's depiction of her scorned best friend Sarah was described as "brilliant" by Eriksson in Svenska Dagbladet, and was also highlighted by several reviewers for her supporting character work. Viita of SVT Nyheter wrote that Ella Åhman's portrayal of Mirja's Instagram model-obsessed sister was tragicomic and "particularly entertaining", but he took issue with the depiction of Mirja's mother, which he felt represented a caricature of "Finnish white trash."