A Swedish soldier refuses to kill — and his own country puts him on trial for it.
It is 1940. A young man is facing court martial on charges of conscientious objection. He admits the crime. The prosecutor demands a most severe punishment. While waiting for the verdict, the young man think back of his past. How could this happen?
Acting
Lars Ekborg's haunted stillness carries every frame.
Direction
Kjellgren's flashback structure turns trial into psychological excavation.
Writing
Unflinching dialogue about cowardice that refuses easy answers.
Director
Lars-Eric Kjellgren
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released just ten years after WWII, this was Sweden grappling with its own military neutrality — and its conscience.
The title 'Våld' ('Violence') refers not to battle, but to the structural violence of the state demanding compliance.
SE
