Videoman (2018)
6/10
Videoman
25 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Reading about this perhaps little-known Swedish film, it sounded like something I could relate to, I myself am a massive collector of DVDs, and this was all about a video collector, and it was rated well, so I hoped for the best. Basically, Ennio Midena (Stefan Sauk) is a VHS (video home system) video tape collector. He used to run Sweden's best video store but has since moved to Gothenburg and developed a drinking problem since its closure. The only people that still rely on Ennio's collection video cassettes are his friends, who often come over to watch a film with him, or other collectors or nostalgic fans of videos looking for titles, especially 1970s and 1980s horrors and thrillers, to borrow or buy from him. Ennio is close to being evicted from his basement flat-cum-video library. But he believes his problems may be solved when he receives a call from an anonymous woman. She is looking for the film Zombie (aka Zombie Flesh Eaters), a rare and collectable film to find on video tape, and she is offering 10,000 euros to purchase it. But things go awry for Ennio when the movie gets stolen, and he must start a desperate hunt for a perpetrator. The mysterious (and possibly murderous) buyer threatening him is known only as Faceless, but Ennio will stop at nothing to get the rare tape worth thousands back. Carolin Stoltz During his search, Ennio meets divorced fellow alcoholic Simone Karlsson (Lena Nilsson), who has an obsession for everything from the 1980s, especially the music, fashion, and culture. Simone a victim of workplace bullying and struggles to develop a relationship with her grown up daughter. These outsiders joined by nostalgia and broken dreams starts a romance. But Ennio is in danger of losing all grip on reality as he looks for the tape before the proposed handover to the buyer. Also starring Morgan Alling as Giallo-Bosse, Martin Wallström as Chefen - The Boss, and Amanda Ooms as Simones Kollega - Simone's Colleague. The performances are fine, there is a story I could just about follow (loosely based on a real-life collector, who cameos as a janitor), I'm not sure if I fully got the romance, but I guess it doesn't matter. What I enjoyed were the many references to movies, the 70s and 80s, the incessant synth music score, and the many dark scenes filled with purple and pink lighting. The film works well as great nostalgia for any retro fan or cinephile like me, and with its eerie atmosphere throughout, it an intriguing dark romantic comedy thriller. Good!
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