17/09/2024 - The Swedish director discusses how she intended to pay tribute to her fellow countrywoman who shared her affinity for water

(© Johan Bergmark)

Just like Frida Kempff’s debut fiction feature, Knocking [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Frida Kempff
film profile], which opened at Sundance in 2021, her new film The Swedish Torpedo [+see also:
film review
interview: Frida Kempff
film profile] has now been launched on North American soil. The movie has world-premiered in the Centrepiece section of the Toronto International Film Festival, and in it, we get to see the Swedish director’s own artistic vision of a courageous swimming celebrity who may have been even braver on land.

Cineuropa: The presence of water in your films almost looks like a conscious plan. But surely it isn’t?
Frida Kempff: Honestly, no, it just comes to me. Personally, I feel very much at ease in the water, while water at the same time symbolises so many different things to us, to me. It can appear as a new possibility, a new world. This is the case in both [the short film] Bathing Mickey and The Swedish Torpedo, where the sea opens up a new chapter in the protagonists’ lives: Mickey escapes the German occupation of Denmark by boat to Sweden, while Sally perfects her skills as a swimmer. In Knocking, the sea stands for danger and unrest, as does the swimming pool in [the short] Dear Kid. Working with water is a thankful task. When it comes to portraying feelings, the whole emotional spectrum is there.

The Swedish Torpedo tells the story of swimming celebrity Sally Bauer, who made headlines back in the day with her long-distance feats, not least her English Channel crossing in late August 1939. When did you first become aware of her?
Eight years ago, via a biographical novel called Happy Sally by Sara Stridsberg. I was alarmed by the fact that I, as a Swedish woman, didn’t know about this courageous person, who was even braver on land, as an unmarried, single mother who made the impossible possible, very much ahead of her time. I then set out to film her story, one which I felt carries weight also in our day and age.

The film starts with a disclaimer regarding the mix between authentic facts and free fiction. Can you talk about this process?
It was an important distinction to make. As a director and filmmaker, everything I do is through my own point of view, my own voice and my own angle on the story. Biopics are, of course, problematic in this regard; here I am, making a film about someone else’s life. I solved this by leaving the real Sally behind and instead opting for artistic freedom in telling her story.

Have you been in touch with her family?
Almost from day one. I contacted her son, Carl-Axel Bauer, who’s seen all of the different script versions and been along for the whole ride. He totally gets the free-angle idea and is thrilled to see his mother being paid tribute to. His first reaction was, “Wow! Exciting! When can I see it?” “Well, you’ll probably have to wait eight years or so,” I said. I was wrong – it took just seven.

There’s currently a little wave of biopics, including several sports-profile portrayals. Sweden has recently put out films about Björn Borg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Did your Sally Bauer pitch get a good response?
A very good one. I mean, a woman who crosses the English Channel just five days before the outbreak of World War II? That’s a film I’d like to see. It was an easy sell. But still, money is always tricky. We’ve made an arthouse film, and we’ve chosen not to work with the big companies, in order to maintain our creative freedom. That comes at a price. The film needed a sizeable budget in order to meet our ambitions, which we got through international co-producers, from Belgium, Estonia and Finland.

Was it hard to find your Sally?
Both hard and easy. We auditioned around 50 people for the part. All the while, I had this one person at the back of my mind, Josefin Neldén, whom I almost worked with about 12 years ago on a project that ultimately didn’t happen. When she came in, she was just “it”, no question.

Seven years have passed, The Swedish Torpedo has just premiered, and it’s now ready to be launched out into the world. Is it the film you wanted to make?
It is; I feel very proud of it. There’s usually a feeling of nervousness before a premiere, but this time around, it was more a feeling of grounded security passing through my whole body. Yes, I’m really glad I made this film, I felt – and still feel. I hope it will have a long life and get to meet many audiences.