For five years, director Gustav Ågerstrand follows the life of his friend Sara Parkman – and tries to find his place on earth. In the artistic profession. And in relationships.
The result was “As we have loved – a film about Sara Parkman” which inaugurated the 25th edition of the Tempo documentary festival.
The plot describes Gustav as “a pendulum movement – which begins and ends with Sara on stage”:
– All the time you move into the more personal, you get to get close to Sara and see how the art is created from that room. Then you turn back to the artistic expression, he explains to SVT Kulturnyheterna.
Friendship and Crossroads
In the documentary, Sara Parkman’s friendship with fellow musician Hampus Norén functions as a frame to reflect the path choices of adulthood.
And all the questions that arise around the 30 mark.
– Before thirty, I felt that I don’t need to be with anyone because I have the music – it really is my partner, my girlfriend, my boyfriend, my lover. You shouldn’t downplay that either, and I think Gustav portrays that well, says Sara Parkman to SVT Kulturnyheterna and continues:
– But then a feeling came around thirty: that escapism might not be the only answer, and then what is it about? And what is my place?
Personal, not private
The viewer gets to get under Sara Parkman’s skin – literally. Both in emotional expression, brooding and the physical.
But now seeing these five years in the rear view mirror on the big screen, the folk musician has no problem with. On the contrary, she is used to:
– When you write music and lyrics and stand on a stage, it’s also very close. It comes from a place that is highly personal, certainly not private because then you would probably have thought it was messy and disgusting – but it comes from the self. The film is just another look at the same core, says Sara Parkman.