Featured Image: Courtesy of Björn Eklund
On Movie Monday, FREESKIER brings you free movies from the wide world of skiing. With a mix of old and new, this is where you can find your weekly dose of freeski history, adrenaline and cinema mastery all in one.
Perhaps the greatest short film we’ve featured on Movie Monday, “As The Carousel Swings” is an incredible visual experience from mastermind Björn Elkund. It’s safe to say that this experimental movie goes beyond skiing and is worthy of watching just for its own sake. From the very beginning, we’re pulled into a bizarre world filled with vivid colors, shirtless Kim Boberg, crazy saxophone and hypnotic skiing that is complemented by impossibly great camerawork.
Each shot seems random yet precise at the same time; a paradox that is hard to describe and even harder to create. Elkund blends cork 7s with surrealist undertones to deliver a film that hits in all the right places. The result is complexity that isn’t overcomplicated. As FREESKIER wrote in an article when the film first debuted, “You don’t have to follow every single shot and walk away from it understanding a new lesson of life. There’s no pressure to know how all the tricks were done, (which you won’t), or comprehend how each meticulous scene was created, (which you also won’t). None of these things are necessary to enjoy this film. You just need to be along for the ride. As Björn puts it, ‘as long as the carousel swings we will keep on going.'”
We hope you enjoy this edition of Movie Monday as much as we do. Thank you to Eklund, Boberg, Burvall and everyone that poured hours and hours into “As The Carousel Swings.” We can only hope for more projects form this talented crew soon!
Another love letter. Inspired by my father and his joy to life, as well as the song “As The Carousel Swings” by The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Every now and then I doubt myself on making ski movies. I keep telling myself this is the last one- but as long as the carousel swings we will keep on going. – Director Björn Eklund
