Pure
A troubled young woman discovers classical music and risks deception, betrayal, and a dangerous affair to escape her past and become someone new.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- austere
- intimate
- reflective evening
- arthouse film night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Katarina uses her discovery of Mozart and the concert world to escape her troubled suburban life and remake herself.
The rapturous Mozart Requiem experience contrasts sharply with Katarina's dreary suburb and troubled circumstances.
Katarina's dangerous liaison with the married conductor Adam is shaped by their differing age, authority, and cultural position.
The Gothenburg Concert Hall and classical music offer Katarina a beautiful new world while exposing the barriers surrounding it.
Films like Pure, and why
Fish Tank
shared intimate coming-of-age drama, social alienation, and emotionally destructive relationships
An Education
shared female-centered identity transformation, class tension, and melancholic realism
The Piano Teacher
shared austere European drama, romantic betrayal, and protagonists seeking escape through self-invention
Whiplash
shared music-centered emotional awakening, youthful ambition, and difficult power dynamics
Movie Details
- Director
- Lisa Langseth
- Release Date
- 2010-10-22
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (119)
Cast
- Alicia Vikander
- Samuel Fröler
- Josephine Bauer
- Martin Wallström
- Frederik Nilsson
- Ylva Gallon
- Elisabeth Göransson
- Anna Åström
- Helén Söderqvist Henriksson
- Magnus Lindberg
Common questions
- What is Pure about?
- A troubled young woman discovers classical music and risks deception, betrayal, and a dangerous affair to escape her past and become someone new.
- What is Pure like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Pure as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Pure violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Pure.
- Which films are like Pure?
- Films with a similar feel include Fish Tank, An Education, The Piano Teacher, and Whiplash.
- How long is Pure?
- Pure runs 100 minutes.
