Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- earnest
- reflective
- quiet evening
- historical drama night
What critics said
Critics viewed the adaptation as an earnest, emotionally substantial period drama, while finding its storytelling somewhat uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Simon learns that he is adopted and that his biological father is Jewish and German, prompting an adult search for his roots.
Two interconnected Swedish families carry wartime secrets, displacement, and emotional consequences into the 1940s and 1950s.
The story is initially told from young Simon Larsson's perspective as he grows up during and after World War II.
Gothenburg family life in the 1940s and 1950s is defined by the aftermath of World War II and Simon's German Jewish origins.
Films like Simon & the Oaks, and why
The Book Thief
shared coming of age structure, wartime trauma, family secrets, and emotionally serious historical drama
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
shared postwar identity search, jewish heritage, family history, and reflective period drama
Atonement
shared intergenerational memory, friendship, family rupture, and poignant european historical drama
Empire of the Sun
shared literary adaptation, childhood perspective, wartime displacement, and bittersweet emotional atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Lisa Ohlin
- Release Date
- 2011-12-09
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (57)
Cast
- Bill Skarsgård
- Helen Sjöholm
- Jan Josef Liefers
- Katharina Schüttler
- Stefan Gödicke
- Jonatan S. Wächter
- Karl Martin Eriksson
- Karl Linnertorp
- Erica Löfgren
- Josefin Neldén
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Simon & the Oaks about?
- A Swedish coming-of-age epic follows an adopted boy whose postwar search for his Jewish German roots reshapes two intertwined families.
- What is Simon & the Oaks like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Simon & the Oaks as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Simon & the Oaks violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Simon & the Oaks as mild.
- What did critics think of Simon & the Oaks?
- Critics viewed the adaptation as an earnest, emotionally substantial period drama, while finding its storytelling somewhat uneven.
- Which films are like Simon & the Oaks?
- Films with a similar feel include The Book Thief, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Atonement, and Empire of the Sun.
- How long is Simon & the Oaks?
- Simon & the Oaks runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch Simon & the Oaks?
- In United States, Simon & the Oaks is available to rent or buy from Fandango At Home.
