ABOUT DAUGHTERS
Sofia, Hedvig and Maja grew up together on the countryside in Southern Sweden with their mom Carolina – a radiant personality and a devoted mother.
In 2010 Carolina took her own life. That day, Hedvig turned 10 years old. Maja found Carolina first. Sofia only remembers that everyone kept her from looking through the windows.
Left behind were three girls - 8, 10 and 16 years old. Today, they are young adults. They have moved on with their lives, but all have struggled in their own ways to cope with their loss.
They have hardly talked about their mother’s suicide with each other, friends or family and rarely mention it to new acquaintances. Sofia only found out recently that her mother had bipolar disorder - Carolina’s struggles with it were not apparent to her daughters. apparent to her daughters. Now, as they step into adult life, all three feel the need to make sense of their experiences and talk more openly about their mother’s death.
Filmmaker Jenifer Malmqvist met the sisters in 2011. She started filming almost immediately and followed them during a difficult year in their lives. Now, a decade later, Jenifer reconnects with the girls and tries to understand their journey with grief.
The sisters share memories and their own interpretations of the events leading up to and following their mother’s suicide. The film documents this intimate process and the everyday lives of the girls as they grapple with their bereavement – the aftermath of trauma. With the rare circumstance of having filmed material from both the characters’ childhood and the present day, DAUGHTERS offers a unique perspective to grief and loss.
And, most importantly: hope to those in a similar situation.
The World Premiere took place at CPH:DOX, in March 2022.
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Jenifer Malmqvist:
At its core, this is film is about surviving trauma and its aftermath. Part of the process of grieving and coping with both loss and the still existing stigma of suicide is to talk about it. My hope is that when Sofia, Hedvig and Maja reflect on grief, loss, death and suicide and open their lives to the audience, the audience will be free to do the same.
I wish to make a film that treats this serious subject with both delicacy and humour and instils the viewer with hope. Life always goes on, even in the midst of death.
The film will be built on observations and the sisters’ discussions amongst themselves, combining material from both time periods in creative ways.
The camera is attentively present following the siblings tightly, capturing every feeling.
The editing will contrast grief with joy: intimate, deep talks about death are mixed with scenes of action and play, for example Maja galloping on horseback, Sofia diving underwater or the girls playing hide-and-seek as children. We want to bring light to the film: both into the image and the subject matter.
I want to make a film that the girls never had. This is their film.
If you or someone close to you is suffering from mental health issues or experiencing grief, remember that help is available. Look for suicide or mental health helplines or contact your health care provider.
Om du eller någon närstående upplever psykisk ohälsa, tveka inte att ringa 1177 eller besöka 1177.se för råd och hjälp.
“It is a documentary built on empathy, respect, and willingness to really listen and learn about what it means to lose someone in this way. ”
PRODUCTION INFO
Original title: Döttrar
International title: Daughters
Genre: Documentary
Running time: 90 min
Year of Production: 2022
Country of Production: Sweden
Production Company: WG Film
Co-Production Company: Good Company Pictures
CREDITS
Director & Writer: Jenifer Malmqvist
Producers: Margarete Jangård & Hanna Markkanen
Co-Producer: Katrine A. Sahlstrøm / Good Company Pictures
Executive Producer: Fredrik Gertten
Editors: Åsa Mossberg & Line Schou
Cinematographer: Ita Zbroniec-Zajt
Composer: Jonas Colstrup
Sound Designers: Martin Hennel & Jatte Nilsson
Colour Grading: Rune Felix Holm
In Co-Production With: SVT and Film i Skåne
With Support From: SFI, DFI, Nordisk Film & TV Fond and the Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme of the European Union
FESTIVALS
Guldbaggen 2023 (Nominated for Best Documentary, Best Editing) @ Stockholm, Sweden
Lübeck Nordic Film Days 2022 @ Lübeck, Germany
Cork International Film Festival 2022 @ Cork, Ireland
Porto/Post/Doc 2022 @ Portugal
Nordisk Panorama 2022 (Nominated for Best Nordic Documentary) @ Malmö, Sweden
OSLOPIX 2022 @ Oslo, Norway
CPH:DOX 2022 (Nordic:Dox Competition)
@ Copenhagen, Denmark
Visions du Réel 2022 (Grand Angle Competition)
@ Nyon, Switzerland
Dok.fest München 2022 (Nominated for DOK.edit Award by Adobe) @ Munich, Germany
Milllenium Docs Agains Gravity 2022 (Nominated for Warsaw Documentary Award, TVP Dokument Award, First Appearance Award) @ Poland
Bergmanveckan 2022 @ Fårö Island, Sweden
Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara @ Guadalajara, Mexico
AWARDS
Winning film of DOK.edit Award
presented by Adobe @DOK.fest München 2022. (Awarded Editors: Åsa Mossberg and Line Schou)
Guldbaggen 2023 Winner of Best Editing