Paradise Is Burning - Review (London Film Festival 2023)
You're My Favourite Person. 3 / 5
Directed by Mika Gustafson.
In Sweden, sisters Laura, Mira and Steffi, get by on their own, left to their own devices by an absent mother.
Paradise is Burning does a remarkable job of encapsulating the chaos of youth. As three young sisters are left to build a life for themselves when their absent mother abandons them, they attempt to build a version of normality that is injected by the carelessness and freedom of childhood.
Mika Gustafson's unique coming-of-age film is packed with debut performances whose innocence brings a fortuitous sense of realism to the central sisterly bond with Bianca Delbravo leading the charge with a powerful and rebellious screen presence as an uncertain reality follows her every decision.
A welcomed surprise, the chaotic energy is managed well, never feeling too overbearing, instead driving home a heartfelt story about the importance of keeping your loved ones close and how the race to adulthood isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
Written by Jack Aling Read his latest reviews at: letterboxd.com/TheJackAling
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