At the turn of the 20th century, two Swedish sisters – Ingeborg and Gunborg Elfving – dreamt of an existence free from male oppression. In her will, Gunborg requested that a house be built in their names as a safe haven for single women over 35 – a radical act of feminism that resulted in an all-female co-living residence called Elfvinggården on the outskirts of Stockholm.
In her documentary A House, the Swedish director Fanny Rosell finds the dream of Elfvinggården enduring more than 75 years later, in its community of some 300 women – though not without tensions. Amid a housing affordability crisis in Stockholm, and with the age restriction now removed, younger residents have started moving in, and in larger numbers. Their interpretation of freedom – which can include the company of men – sometimes clashes with the traditional feminism of the community’s elders. Exploring these intergenerational dynamics with humour, candour and heart, Rosell’s film poses the question: should residents adapt to the space, or should the space adapt to them?
Via Girls in Film
