Over the course of seven years in the 1980s, a boy tries to survive one bloody man after another that his mother (Aliette Opheim) drags into his life.

A solid adaptation of the hit novel, sharing similarities with My Life as a Dog (1985). Author Andrev Walden’s childhood has been carefully recreated in terms of period details; the filmmakers spot which ingredients and events from the novel that are pivotal and stage them faithfully and with great skill.

Alternately dark and charming, with a good cast, and a finale that serves as a sweet reminder of why we keep carrying on in spite of the bloody men.

2026-Sweden. 108 min. Color. Directed by Jens Sjögren. Screenplay: Jakob Beckman. Novel: Andrev Walden ”(Bloody Awful in Different Ways”). Song: ”Bakom oss bara dimma” (Håkan Hellström). Cast: Aliette Opheim (Mona), Felix Östergren (Andrev at 11), Vilgot Avenäs Thorslund (Andrev at 7), Ludvig Eriksson (Andrev at 14), Jakob Öhrman, Filip Berg, Viktor Norén, Joel Spira. 

Trivia: Original title: Jävla karlar. The novel was also turned into a one-man play. 

Last word: “I was hooked by the characters. I was tremendously moved by the mother’s and the son’s journey through all of this. […] It turned into a very character-driven drama where plot wasn’t all that important, unlike atmosphere and places we’ve all found ourselves in.” (Sjögren, SF Studios)