tynesider This picture begins with a group of Swedish characters embarking on a train journey to Berlin. We are soon introduced to the dark humour that is a main feature of the film, and then the simple plot is introduced, two lovers intending to murder the man's wife. Shades of Double Indemnity in that it's to be done on a train. A writer and critic who is also travelling, has encounters with his fellow passengers, especially a wounded soldier, whose injuries he gradually adds to in a series of accidental and increasingly bizarre mishaps. The other characters range from the fairly normal to the frankly weird, from the train conductor to the male couple and the two nuns, but the writer who blunders his way through the film causing mayhem is the central figure, and his encounters with the soldier will amuse or not depending on your taste in comedy and how seriously you take life.The murder plot is woven into the comedy nicely and the murderous couple become increasingly desperate as their plans seem to be failing. The B and W photography is crisp and as the train moves on the plot moves on with it at a nice pace. The postscript is quite clever too.Monsieur Hulot meets Hitchcock?

Jexxon Set in 1945, Skenbart follows a failed Swedish book editor who decides to take a non-stop train to Berlin. Unfortunately for everyone around him, he's a walking disaster, causing mayhem everywhere he goes. The train also holds a man and his mistress scheming to murder the man's wife (who's also on the train), a soldier on his way home, two gay elderly gentlemen, an angry train conductor, two nuns, a bunch of refugees, and even more people.Meant as a mix of noir-ish thriller (which it does quite well - at least to begin with), and comedy, the film fails with both. It doesn't sit right as the film changes tone with every new scene. And as the train races towards its final destination, the film turns more and more bizarre, ending on a truly surreal note.The good bits are wasted in a myriad of pointless plots and characters. Skenbart is packed with famous Swedish actors, no matter how small the part is. It feels like the filmmakers rang everyone they've ever worked with and offered them a part in the film. Too bad that the performances are just as bad as the script (act your lines - don't read them!).The comedy is more or less slapstick, with the same jokes repeated over and over. The pace is incredibly slow at times (quite often, actually) with on scene in particular dragging on for about ten minutes for no good reason. The screenwriter also seems to think that swearing is a good way to replace decent dialogue. The film looks great though, in moody B&W, but it's wasted on such inept film-making in every other department. [1/10]

timmytimboy Very funny film with some of the best swedish actors. It's all filmed in black and white with the true 40-ish feeling. Most of the film you are aboard a train headed for Berlin in 1945 among a mixture of characters from refugees to 2 gay guys and 2 nuns. I truly recommend this film if you like to laugh.

sm4suc An interesting comedy, taking place on a train from Stockholm to Berlin, December 1945. One can't help to feel sorry for the poor writer/critic who quits his job and jumps on the train to Berlin. His ambition is to make a difference, and to participate in building the new unified Europe after the war has ended.I like the black and white format of the movie, as well as the closed scenery of a train in motion.Robert Gustafsson makes a classic "Gustafsson-role" in this movie. If you're a fan of him, this movie is for you!The philosopher Wittgenstein, through his saying "One can never assume that anything is what it seems to be", is referenced several times in the movie.