Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Things feel quite calm here in Sweden, I must say.
But no one seems to be panicking.
One thing with Swedes is that as soon as you get good weather outside, the mood changes.
Weve had really good weather for the last three or four weeks, so that really affects our temperament.
I have not met anyone who is really nervous or panicking.
Live events and things like that are closed.
So no cinemas, no concerts.
Schools after grade nine are closed.
My daughters are in gymnasium [high school], and they are studying from home.
Its boring to be at home.
And theyre finding it hard to actually learn anything.
But a lot of places are still open, like restaurants.
I was visiting my mom.
She had to sit behind a glass door, so we talked on the phone through this glass door.
Maybe younger people have less respect for this, but older people are following this recommendation.
It was in Iran, and then the first cases in Italy.
But I didnt dare to tell anyone because I was so nervous that I would jinx it.
We shot for about 25 days, starting on February 19.
Then we basically followed the recommendations from the Swedish state and stopped.
So suddenly its like a postapocalyptic situation, and civilization is gone.
And meanwhile we were all worried about what was happening in the world outside.
It was like we managed in some way to illustrate all this real fear.
I basically edit all my films myself first, and then I work together with a Danish editor.
So in many ways, my life has continued fairly normally.
But even without a lockdown in Sweden, things have slowed down in pace.
Which allows us to embrace the kind of rhythm you find in older movies.
I like Mubi.com a lot, and Ive been using that to look at some classics.
I sawTaking Offby Milos Forman on DVD.
Ive also been watching [Ken Burns and Lynn Novicks]The Vietnam WarTV series.
I was actually surprised at how easily these big companies accepted the situation.
Its clear that the power of the media today has increased so much.
My filmThe Squareis a little bit about this, actually.
And when you talk about it, the more extreme language you use, the more attention you get.
Of course, in America, you have the best example of this with your president.
Because my awareness, my fears and everything, are so connected to the digital world.
So now, I venture to keep them separate.
