Two teenage brothers (Josef Kersh, Rio Svensson) are torn apart when the older one falls for a girl (Adja Sise) and the younger one finds somebody else to look up to: a criminal (Jonay Pineda Skallak) with no future.

It’s a tale as old as time in Maria Eriksson-Hecht’s feature film debut, a gritty drama inspired by a short she and writer Pelle Rådström made in 2017. In spite of familiar material, it’s a gripping story about the relationship between two brothers who are more or less trapped in their social milieu.

The two newcomers are terrific in the leads, and so is Torkel Petersson as their drunken army veteran dad.

2025-Sweden-Norway-Finland. 101 min. Color. Directed by Maria Eriksson-Hecht. Screenplay: Pelle Rådström. Cast: Josef Kersh (Alex), Rio Svensson (Robin), Adja Sise (Ines), Torkel Petersson, Jonay Pineda Skallak, Lezan Amen. 

Trivia: Original title: Kevlarsjäl.

Guldbagge Awards: Best Director, Supporting Actor (Petersson).

Last word: “We visited schools and sports clubs, and also did regular street casting. We found Rio Svensson, Robin, at his school; he is aiming to be a pro footballer. Josef Kersh, Alex, came on board at the very last minute. We put up a little film on Instagram where Rio turned up, asking for a big brother for the film. When Josef saw it, he just felt, ‘Hey, that’s me!’ They were fast learners, and soon knew how to move and where to stand in relation to the camera, acting really professionally.” (Eriksson-Hecht, Cineuropa)