'Paradise Is Burning' - Three Sisters Navigates World Without Parents in Swedish Coming of Age Film

Paradise Is Burning. (Courtesy of Room 8 Films)

Paradise Is Burning official trailer and release date — Paradise Is Burning. (Courtesy of Room 8 Films)

Room 8 Films debuted the trailer for ‘Paradise Is Burning’, a coming of age drama/comedy film on the story of three sisters navigating their life without any parental figures.

‘Paradise Is Burning’ had its world premiere at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, where it won the Best Director Award. The film was also an official selection at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival, where it won the First Feature Competition.

Starring the film are Bianca Delbravo, Dilvin Assad, Safira Mossberg, Ida Engvoll, Marta Oldenburg, and Mitja Siren.

Release Date

Directed by Mika Gustafson, ‘Paradise Is Burning’ opens in theaters on August 23, 2024.

Synopsis

‘Paradise Is Burning’ is an emotional drama that navigates the complexities of society and family in the working-class Swedish suburbia. Three sisters — sixteen-year-old Laura (Bianca Delbravo), twelve-year-old Mira (Dilvin Asaad), and seven-year-old Steffi (Safira Mossberg) — are left to their own devices by their absent mother. As summer approaches, the trio revels in the excitement of freedom, letting their days unfold without the constraints of adult supervision. However, when Laura receives a call that threatens to place them in foster care, she frantically searches for a substitute mother to avoid this fate. Keeping the truth hidden from her younger sisters, Laura navigates the blurred lines between the thrill of independence and the harsh realities of growing up, as the sisters’ relationships with each other are put to the test.

In an interview with Cineuropa, director Mika Gustafson shared her vision for the story, “I wanted three children without acting experience, who should feel like flesh and blood, and be believable. I’m getting tired of reproduced characters, instead of authentic ones. I’m also deploying a “show, not tell” strategy, in which we can get up close to what is alive and real.”

Reviews

Nikki Baughan in a Screen International review praised the film, writing “There’s a rawness here, and an authenticity in filmmaking and performances, that bolsters the occasional narrative weaknesses to create a film of quiet power.”

David Parkinson in a Radio Times review gave the film a 4/5 score, writing “The movie is at its best when focussing on the bonding and banter between the siblings, who live an almost feral life on their scruffy housing estate. Delbrava is excellent in her role, being both pugnaciously resourceful and painfully vulnerable.”