I Am Curious (Blue) (Jag är nyfiken - en film i blått)

Cast

Peter Lindgren
as Lena's Father

Lena Nyman
as Lena

Vilgot Sjöman

Börje Ahlstedt
as Börje, Lena's boyfriend

Marie Goranzon
as Marie Borje's mistress

Critic Reviews for I Am Curious (Blue) (Jag är nyfiken - en film i blått)

Audience Reviews for I Am Curious (Blue) (Jag är nyfiken - en film i blått)

• Mar 01, 2011

  This notorious Swedish import is mostly remembered for its groundbreaking explicitness and, indeed, some of its content still goes well beyond the mainstream. Lena Nyman's full-frontal nudity no longer carries the jolt that it did in 1967, but co-star Borje Ahlstedt's flopping penis remains a novelty. And a scene with Nyman casually nuzzling his genitals is still something rarely seen outside of hardcore pornography. Unfortunately, this 121-minute film's actual emphasis is not sex but politics. Surly, smug, radical-left politics. An early, endless section with Nyman badgering people on the street with questions about Sweden's "class system" is agony to endure, and the film never recovers from this deadly loss of momentum. The ideas of Nyman and director Vilgot Sjoman are far from deep (equal opportunity is good, Francisco Franco is bad), and the only real intrigue of the political material is some exclusive interview footage with Martin Luther King. It's better to focus on the romantic angle, in which Sjoman and Ahlstedt vie for Nyman's affection. Every cast member plays himself or herself, and the story operates on two levels -- it's a film within a film in which Sjoman is seen directing a fictional movie starring actors Nyman and Ahlstedt. Except the crew is offscreen for such extended periods that the line blurs and the reality of scenes becomes ambiguous. Repeatedly, "intimate" dialogue is unexpectedly interrupted by a camera's appearance. Other Brechtian intrusions include onscreen text and a mock contest for viewers to guess what is in Nyman's bag. It's all rather erratic, and the film's clumsiness is alternately endearing and annoying. What can't be denied is that Nyman gives a brave, captivating performance, despite not being the shapely beauty who would be best suited for such a role.
  

  Eric B Super Reviewer
• Sep 05, 2010

  This is both a political documentary and a romantic drama mixed together which doesn't work too good. It's an interesting idea to combine the two, and some parts seem to work, but for the most part it doesn't. Overall, interesting, but it could have been better.
  Aj V Super Reviewer
• Dec 10, 2009

  <i>"Are there any interesting social cases here? People in sleazy flats? People with unpaid dental bills? Drug cases will do, too. I work for "Expressen" the paper with a sting. My paper is planning a conservative victory in the '68 elections. We're doing a series on the ten most sordid social welfare cases."</i> <CENTER><u>JAG ÄR NYFIKEN - EN FILM I GULT (1967)</u></CENTER> <b>Director:</b> Vilgot Sjöman <b>Country:</b> Sweden <b>Genre:</b> Drama <b>Length:</b> 121 minutes <CENTER><a href="http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww125/ElCochran90/?action=view¤t=IAmCurious-Yellow.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww125/ElCochran90/IAmCurious-Yellow.jpg" border="0" alt="Vilgot Sjöman,Sweden,Cult,I Am Curious Yellow,Lena Nyman"></a></CENTER> People who support cinematic conservatism and will refuse liberalist ideals: BEWARE! Vilgot Sjöman directs what may be the very first masterful cult film ever comitted to European celluloid. This gorgeously sensationalist work of art has come to shatter the current morality, to question the foundations of the social structures, to take that very peculiar and characteristic insatiableness of youth to an extreme, and to question your political beliefs. With an irreverent sense of humor, a style that established the bases of mockumentary filmmaking, a controversial subject matter and a still-unparalleled avant-garde boldness, <i>Jag är Nyfiken - En Film i Gult</i> is the first of two Swedish liberalist manifestos that use the colors of the Swedish flag as symbols of political and democratic libertarianism. Lena is a 20-year-old girl of controversial curiosity. Archiving the different sources of knowledge in categories, mainly regarding sex, politics and religion, Lena embarks on a visceral journey of Eastern and Western culture, sexual exploration, political activism, yoga and existentialist ideals while interviewing random people about the Swedish class system and socialism. Throughout this story, a secondary plot unfolds that involves the director, cast and crew making humorous appearances and stating their personal opinions, coexisting with the fictional characters and intentionally resembling a "making-of" that works hard for the effectiveness of the final outcome. Applying a nihilistic delusion to the already controversial formula, Vilgot Sjöman and Lena Nyman combat against the established social order and present a vast repertoire of political ideologies and statements regarding social equity. The brilliance of <i>Jag är Nyfiken - En Film i Gult</i> is its originality, confusing the viewer with the authenticity of the ideas presented with the mixed style. Ultimately, the film is a complete and absurd mess, but one of the most intelligent, clever and audacious ones that cinema has ever witnessed. Sjöman refuses to adapt a conventional storytelling and decides to replace it with an alternative story, representing the thin line that divides the realm of reality and fantasy, of fact and fiction, of documentary direction and true filmmaking. Although these terms represent the opposite poles of a battery, the sum of these elements as parts form part of a whole: a universal law, the collision of ideological agreements and the catastrophic usefulness of a rebellious anarchy for the sake of the society's necessary progress. The main terms that define <i>Jag är Nyfiken - En Film i Gult</i> are audacity, inventiveness, revolution and societal (neutral) libertarianism. From normal people to important political figures like Palme and Martin Luther King, the film enters a world of artistic subjectivity, heavy in visual mastery and thought-provoking substance. The representation of the European class division of the 60s is not intended to appeal to a particular audience; it has a worldwide appeal, incarnating a universally accepted truth. Most of the technical aspects, although brilliantly constructed, do not seem to matter at some point and, latterly, they do. It is a mix of talents, like a non-idealistic filmmaker trying to conglomerate all of the thoughts that govern his conscience and showing them in the most random order that keep appearing in his mind, thus transforming the oddly sexy and gorgeous Lena Nyman in his vehicle of mass destruction, politically speaking. What is most likely to happen regarding international cinematic censorships when you are mercilessly gathering explicit sex and controversial politics in a two-hour feast? Rejection, banning, dissemination condemnation and complete miscomprehension are the most obvious answers. Fourty years later, the film makes complete sense to a more expert audience that is able to catalogue the past mistakes of any society disguised with false democratic promises and identities for making a productive use out of them in the present. The screenplay is incredibly complex, despite how simple it may seem and how much it relies on the perspectives of other members of a whole. Sex is used as the graphical representation of anarchich liberalism not with the purpose of establishing chaos, but with the intention of questioning the societal bases of conservatism and the senselessness of political overpowerment. It is a human impulse that latterly leads us to either grave decisions or to tragic results. Sjöman deserves a huge amount of cinematic credit. Inspiring several future filmmakers of the 70s to stand against governmental censorship and to challenge established parties and organizations, <i>Jag är Nyfiken - En Film i Gult</i> is the most controversial and definitely best color in comparison with the blue one, which is milder. What aspects of society are still predominant? Nature and socialism never made such a gorgeous and provocative collision of political discussion with an orgasmic intercession. It is a unique masterpiece, misunderstood by those who will strictly stay glued to the Hollywood standards. 99/100
  Edgar C Super Reviewer

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