A Love Letter to Sisterhood: Darling Magazine Speaks to 'Paradise is Burning' Director Mika Gustafson

by Mashaal Hussain

Writer-director Mika Gustafson’s debut feature ‘Paradise is Burning’ is a nostalgic film that captures sisterhood in a uniquely raw and real way. 

For most of the actors in the movie, it was their debut role, yet to watch, you would never know. Each performance was nothing but outstanding. They each brought to life a complex, flawed teenager with individual problems and nuances. 

With loads of chemistry, they were instantly convincing as sisters. Sisterhood can be chaotic, but it can be so peaceful. They portrayed a perfect balance of childlike nature yet the need to protect one another and be independent. 

To top it off, the cinematography is so visually pleasing that regardless of your opinion of the movie - story, cast, whatever - your eyes will stick to the screen. 

In a working-class area of Sweden, Laura (Bianca Delbravo), Mira (Dilvin Asaad), and Steffi (Safira Mossberg) are left to their own devices after their mother has left them absent since Christmas. 

As summer approaches, they are left to fend for themselves whilst living their carefree lifestyle from shoplifting at supermarkets, breaking into people’s homes and partying in their pools with other girls.

However, when Laura picks up a call from social services, they’re told they must set up a meeting to deal with their situation. As a result, Laura begins the search for someone to impersonate their mum in an attempt to stop the sisters from being separated and put into foster homes.

Throughout the movie, each sister has a different storyline; Mira’s unexpected dynamic with the next-door neighbour and Steffi’s new friendships, but mainly, the story is told through the oldest of the sisters, Laura. As she struggles to keep the secret of the social services call, she finds herself befriending an older woman, Hanna (Ida Engvoll), in the neighbourhood.

Within this blossoming relationship, we witness Hanna’s issues with her marriage and her struggles with her newborn baby. Engvoll does a great job with her role portraying a mid-life crisis. Using her newly formed friendship with Laura has rekindled her teenage spirit, which allows her to cope with things better. At the start of their relationship, you almost think of them as a mother and daughter duo, which leads to something unpredictable.

It’s nice to see how each sister has an individual storyline in which they find their own path, but at the end of the day, they always have each other to rely on, even whilst on the cusp of surviving.

Darling spoke to Gustafson, who won Best Director at Venice Film Festival for ‘Paradise is Burning’ in 2023, and co-writer Alexander Öhrstrand a few days after catching a preview screening.

Did you take inspiration from your previous work?

I think two main things in my work is, firstly I am looking for stories of complex characters and breaking stereotypes, especially with women. Second thing I am interested in is life and nuances of it which are themes in my previous works Silvana (2017) and Mepahobia (2017). 

We wanted to bring those elements into this movie. To have a playfulness, be raw and to break rules. 

As it was the actors first time, how did they prepare for their roles?

It was a very long casting process, for ten months. As a director I wanted to be a part of the process. You also train your eyes to see talent. After we decided on the three girls, we made a workshop for them and trained them, giving them confidence. 

Back in the day director’s broke actors down but I think it’s the opposite, you should build people up. It’s so important to build a safe room for them and one of the ways to do that is build their confidence and teach them new skills. 

Also, we never talked about character, you can’t play a character, but you can act a situation and work with a scene rather than giving it a label as ’character’ which could limit what they can do and what they can’t do. 

We didn’t want the girls to be viewed just as girls, we wanted them to be viewed as humans. She has a good side, she has a bad side, she gets vulnerable as well as strong. 

The initial name of the movie was ‘Sisters’; at any point, did you play around with characters or even the gender of the siblings?

We sometimes talked about what it would be like if it was a sister and brother and what the dynamic would look like. Even if it was two or three brothers and how would they act in that situation. We experimented and even though how the roles would shift if Hanna’s character was a male instead of female. We ended up telling the story of three sisters after a lot of experimenting and thinking. 

Why did you settle on the title ‘Paradise is Burning’ in the end?

We wanted to get close to things in life that was hard but also use humour. We wanted this clash. Almost having a euphoric and freeing feeling and making the film poetic but punk. 

Mika came up with that name which explains that feeling. It was a brilliant title!

How did you approach the process of filming this movie?

I’m very interested in how film is also a performance between the audience and the film itself and I wanted to include the audience. I want them to feel. We also talked about the fourth wall. I want to invite the audience whilst Laura and Hanna are breaking into this apartment. I want the audience to have fun. 

We wanted to show a feeling and how they feel. We wanted their feelings to reflect whilst filming. 

Have you started thinking about what your next project is going to be about?

We have a first draft we are working on. It is quite different but has similar themes of freedom and despair. 

I really like when the director has a certain style almost like a fingerprint that distinguishes them. I really hope you can see our fingerprint in our next movie. 

Gustafson and Öhrstrand did an amazing job creating a sense of nostalgia that oozes with feeling. The movie shows the authenticity of sisterhood, how it can be so lonely, yet also a giving community at times. The hate, love, and laughter were shared, as well as the arguments, their gripes with each other, and the fact they would do anything for one another. It invoked so many emotions within me - the euphoria of freedom and the beauty of femininity- and showed the reality of growing up. A must-watch!

In cinemas on  August 30th, find your tickets here.

Edited by Emily Duff