Road to Italy
| Road to Italy | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Swedish | Buss till Italien |
| Directed by | Daniel Lind Lagerlöf |
| Written by | Malin Lagerlöf |
| Starring |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
Road to Italy (Swedish: Buss till Italien, lit. 'Bus to Italy') is a 2005 Swedish comedy-drama film directed by Daniel Lind Lagerlöf and written by Malin Lagerlöf. The film follows choir director Ylva (Livia Millhagen), who leaves on a trip to Italy shortly after discovering her husband having sex with their teenage babysitter. The film was shot on an actual journey in chronological order, with shooting locations in Sweden, Germany, and Italy. It premiered in theatres on 16 December 2005 and received generally mixed reviews from critics. While the film's plot received criticism, Millhagen's performance was praised.
Plot
Ylva, a church choir director and mother-of-two, returns home early from rehearsal to find her husband having sex with their teenage babysitter. After confronting him at her 35th birthday party, she leaves on a previously planned bus trip to Italy with her choir. On the trip are two 17-year old boys, Erik and Ruben, who are attracted to Ylva.
Cast
- Livia Millhagen as Ylva
- Karl Linnertorp as Erik
- Adam Pålsson as Ruben
- Anna Lyons as Ia
- Johan Holmberg as Rikard
- Mats Andersson as Svante
- Marie Tilander as Lillemor
Production
Director Daniel Lind Lagerlöf expressed that the idea for the film came from his own experience when he was 16. He worked on the story with his wife, screenwriter Malin Lagerlöf.[1] The pair had previously collaborated on the films Breaking Out (1999), Making Babies (2001), and Miffo (2003).[2] The film was shot on an actual journey in chronological order, beginning in Trollhättan in May 2005.[3] Parts were shot in Sweden, on a ferry to Germany, along an autobahn, and in Domodossola.[4]
Release
Road to Italy premiered in theaters on 16 December 2005.[5]
Reception
The film earned an average rating of 2.8/5 on the Swedish review aggregator site Kritiker, based on 8 critics' reviews.[6] It received a generally positive review from Gunnar Rehlin in Variety; he called it a "charming dramedy" with a strong lead in Livia Millhagen. He also felt digital video was used somewhat successfully to create an "unvarnished" effect.[7] The plot was strongly criticised by Malin Krutmeijer in a review for Helsingborgs Dagblad; she described the film as lacking a central storyline or developed characters. She also deemed it a "shameless and hollow rip-off" (skamlös och stum rip-off) of Kay Pollak's As It Is in Heaven (2004).[8] Jeanette Gentele of Svenska Dagbladet also felt the characters and their motivations were not sufficiently explored, and critiqued the film's conclusion as overly fanciful. She concluded that without Millhagen's performance, Road to Italy would have been a complete failure.[9] Jens Peterson of Aftonbladet felt the film lacked focus as a result of too many subplots, but commended Millhagen's performance.[10]
References
Citations
Sources
- Collin, Lars (25 August 2005). "Körresan blev en roadmovie" [The road trip became a road movie]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- Gentele, Jeanette (15 December 2005). "Buss till Italien" [Bus to Italy]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- Hirschfeldt, Måns (16 December 2005). "Buss till... vadå?" [Bus to... where?]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 26 September 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- [Kritiker] (2005). "Buss Till Italien (2005) • 8 recensioner" [Bus to Italy (2005) • 8 reviews]. Kritiker (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 19 May 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- Krutmeijer, Malin (16 December 2005). "Buss på villovägar" [Bus on the wrong track]. Helsingborgs Dagblad (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 9 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- van Der Lee, Fredrik (8 June 2005). "En bussresa blir till film" [A bus trip becomes a movie]. Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 9 March 2026. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- Lindstedt, Karin (6 August 2005). "Filmhösten full av godbitar" [An autumn movie season full of treats]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 9 March 2026. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
- Peterson, Jens (16 December 2005). "Buss till Italien" [Bus to Italy]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 26 September 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- Rehlin, Gunnar (16 December 2005). "Road to Italy". Variety (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- [Sundsvalls Tidning] (6 July 2006). "Trevligt när humor och allvar möts" [Nice when humor and seriousness meet]. Sundsvalls Tidning. Archived from the original on 16 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- [Sveriges Radio] (8 December 2005). "Galapremiär för Buss till Italien i Trollhättan igår - Morgon i P4 Väst" [Grand premiere for Bus to Italy in Trollhättan yesterday - Morning on P4 Väst]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 26 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.