Written by Andreas Babiolakis

This review is a part of the Palme d’Or Project: a review of every single Palme d’Or winner at Cannes Film Festival. Pelle the Conqueror won the thirty third Palme d’Or at the 1988 festival.

The film was selected by the following jury.
Jury President: Ettore Scola.
Jury: Claude Berri, David Robinson, Yelena Safonova, George Miller, Héctor Olivera, Nastassja Kinski, Philippe Sarde, Robby Müller, William Goldman.

In the same way that Hollywood got inspired by international cinema, it feels like the films of the world got influenced by American filmmaking through the 80s. Case in point, we have Billie August’s Pelle the Conqueror. Had it been released ten years before, maybe it would feel a lot more raw. As a film from 1987, it is everything the Academy Awards would fawn over (case in point: it won Best Foreign Language Film and Max Von Sydow was nominated at the 61st Academy Awards), but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I do feel like there is a polish throughout the film that doesn’t allow the film to quite get to where it could go (especially for such a hard hitting picture), but there are luckily elements that help Pelle the Conqueror soar enough to be effective. The biggest one has already been brought up: Max Von Sydow with one of his best performances. He’s commanding at all times, whether he’s the paternal figure trying to provide guidance and a life for his child, or a lonely man succumbing to addictions and depression as coping mechanisms. Take him out of this film, and it wouldn’t be nearly as compelling. You may even watch the film just for him, but because of what else goes right in Pelle the Conqueror, you may find more moments and elements of substance to cling onto.

Von Sydow plays Lasse: a father immigrating with the titular son Pelle from Sweden to Denmark; they are both fishes out of water trying to live day-by-day to get by. This move was meant to help, after Lasse’s wife passed away, but life may be even worse for this family. Lasse deteriorates, particularly with his developing alcoholic tendencies, but Pelle has to remain strong despite the hells of life, including facing bullies and rural hardships. We watch Pelle fight to persevere (hence the name of the film) , and we have two-and-a-half hours to root for him and his father to take a hold of their surroundings and life itself. We get something bittersweet when Pelle the Conqueror resolves, and it’s when the film feels its most daring: venturing into the unknown, realizing this, too, shall pass, and learning to face whatever comes next. We’ve battled before. We will continue to do so. Life doesn’t ever get easier, but we get stronger. Despite the Hollywood-y theme, August handles this conclusion well enough that it feels real, and I do respect that; he may be influenced by American films (or so it feels), but he’s also trying not to follow the same gimmicks.

Ingmar Bergman reportedly watched Pelle the Conqueror many times, and he entrusted Billie August with directing his story loosely based on how his parents met (the end result, The Best Intentions, also won the Palme d’Or). I don’t hold the same enthusiasm as Bergman did with Pelle the Conqueror, but I see enough similarities between August’s prized film and Bergman’s signature style, but it stems mostly from a storytelling perspective. August is far more standard than Bergman as a director, but they both have a lot to say about where they grew up as children (as well as looking ahead and knowing that there’s an even grimmer future looming over them in their geriatric years). While August may not be quite as cynical as Bergman, they share the same sympathies for their loved ones, even with their flaws. I think this alone spoke to Bergman, and it likely spoke to the Cannes jury as well.

You can feel your family members trying their best in Pelle the Conqueror, and you wish for the best for them in the same ways you may feel that love from your siblings and/or parents. There’s this kind of authentic connection in Pelle the Conqueror, and that’s where August shines beyond his peers. The film might feel a bit held back, but it definitely shines in other ways. It’s an epic that doesn’t quite feel like one, and that’s actually a good thing. We live with Pelle and Lasse temporarily, and hoping that they will grow and defeat their tribulations is something I didn’t want to end (outside of seeing them actually come out on top, of course). Pelle the Conqueror isn’t perfect, but neither are its characters, and they’re still worthy of being supported and cared about, right? Enough about Pelle the Conqueror works, and it may not scream Palme d’Or winner to me, but it’s a worthwhile enough film that this scrutiny also doesn’t matter.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.