Suxxess (2002) Online

This is the story of a company called Omniville. It is a friendly, human office. But then there is a new boss. He lacks empathy and the whole mood is changed, good people lose their jobs, it gets colder. And then there is a new boss, it gets even colder...

I really liked that movie because you can feel despair. I thought it was a very cynical look at the world of globalization, how all the people look alike, everything gets colder, everybody follows orders. I know this is very true, because it happened to my dad's company.

Funny, interesting, still it makes you think.

Suxxess is about the initially friendly and sociable company Omduville (This is Swedish for "Ifyouwant(e)"). The company gets a new boss in the shape of Robert Mattson (played by Göran Ragnerstam). Robert turns out to be virtually emotionless and soon makes many drastic changes that he thinks will improve efficiency, including firing several loyal members of the workforce. The employees become more and more enraged, leading up to a climax, where suddenly the tables are turned. But once that happens, it turns out that being a boss is based on more than personality: it is a position that takes its man.

There are some good things about this film. The actors are, in general, skilled. The boss, played by Göran Ragnerstam, plays very well and, as the award section for this film reveals, it rendered him a "Guldbagge", the most important film award in Sweden. Lennart Jähkel (who played James) was nominated for the same award, and it was well deserved too. The main character also acted very well, although he wasn't nominated for any award.

The scenery was superb. It is interesting to note how the interior changed from the beginning of the film when it was warm lightening, soft furniture, colorful paintings, etc; compared to the end of the film when the lightening was sterile, the furniture were modernistic, metallic and hardly any colors. Related to this, the photography was also very good.

Now for some flaws. First of all the script has difficulties. The whole meaning of this film is probably to show that power corrupts, but it could also be a story of guilt, because there are several deaths in the film, each one leading to a change of events. It could also be viewed from a class-perspective: the ruling class is destined to suppress the workers. This confusion is not good for us viewers. Furthermore, all main characters are selfish in their essence. It would have been good to have one character with whom the audience could relate to.

Apart from the drawbacks, it is a nice and simple little film. Without any extravagance, it tells its story in an efficient and gripping way.