Rehearsals

Lars Norén, Sweden's best–known contemporary playwright, agreed to spend some time in a prison, write a play based on the lives of three of its inmates and get them to perform it. Directors Michal Leszcylowski and Gunnar Källström were there to make a documentary about the project. As the prisoners tell their stories and reveal why they turned to crime, they lay themselves bare before the playwright and the audience. Entitled 7:3, the project intermingles truth and fiction, allowing the prisoners to step back and examine their own behaviour from a different viewpoint. In order to get into their roles, they have to remind themselves of their own past. The audience witnesses a form of shock therapy and gets a controversial insight into a world that society would rather not see. 'Rehearsals' is a psychological documentary about the souls of those who have committed a crime and about the personal history that led up to the act. The directors show how we can get close to a criminal and try to understand his or her feelings, as well as revealing the level of sensitivity a playwright can employ when working with real life subjects. In examining the relationship that one of the prisoners has with Nazism, the film is also a general contemplation of how strongly political ideologies can control a person. The directors employ stark and simplistic images that mirror the austerity of a prison cell, as well as the emptiness of a stage before a performance. This approach creates an uncluttered space for contemplation, providing the audience with an opportunity to penetrate serious issues affecting society in general, as well the inner workings of each one of us.