Behind Blue Skies
A Swedish teenager’s idyllic hotel summer becomes a dangerous initiation into adult desire, alcohol, and criminal schemes.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- nostalgic
- intimate
- uneasy
- reflective evening
- summer viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Gösta takes Martin under his wing while involving him in shady business dealings outside the hotel.
The Swedish archipelago hotel and Martin’s summer job create a bright holiday frame for illicit adult activity.
The plot and keywords foreground Martin’s adolescence, sexual development, and exposure to adult experience.
The Stockholm archipelago setting places the hotel community in a beautiful but enclosed environment where Gösta conducts dubious deals.
Films like Behind Blue Skies, and why
The Last Picture Show
coming of age drama shaped by a morally compromised adult mentor, youthful vulnerability, and a charged summer atmosphere
My Summer of Love
nostalgic youth drama combining adolescent awakening, adult dysfunction, and an emotionally ambivalent period setting
The Go-Between
period coming of age story where a young protagonist is drawn into dangerous adult schemes and illicit activity
Movie Details
- Director
- Hannes Holm
- Release Date
- 2010-09-10
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (53)
Cast
- Bill Skarsgård
- Peter Dalle
- Björn Kjellman
- Josefin Ljungman
- Amanda Ooms
- Adam Pålsson
- Rasmus Troedsson
- Annika Olsson
- Peter Engman
- Gustave Lund
Common questions
- What is Behind Blue Skies about?
- A Swedish teenager’s idyllic hotel summer becomes a dangerous initiation into adult desire, alcohol, and criminal schemes.
- What is Behind Blue Skies like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Behind Blue Skies as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Behind Blue Skies violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Behind Blue Skies.
- Which films are like Behind Blue Skies?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last Picture Show, My Summer of Love, and The Go-Between.
- How long is Behind Blue Skies?
- Behind Blue Skies runs 110 minutes.
