Deep in a Swedish forest, three sisters spend their summer days lost in a world of their own invention. Laura, at 16, has become the protector of Mira, 12, and little Steffi, only 7, after their mother vanished without explanation. Under blue skies and surrounded by tall trees, they play without rules or restrictions, free as birds. But always, responsibility weighs on eldest Laura. She must keep them fed and safe from harm—no simple task for a girl still a child herself.
Paradise is Burning explores this unusual family with empathy and care. Directed by Mika Gustafson in her feature debut, the film follows the sisters through a summer that brings both joy and fear. Joy in days spent swimming and laughing together without a care. Fear as a social worker’s call threatens to tear them from the only home they’ve known. Gustafson watches with gentle eyes, never rushing her young subjects but letting each moment unfold at its natural pace.
What emerges is a moving portrait of resilience. Though just children, the sisters lean on each other through every struggle. The strength of their bond holds fast against all that would break it. Gustafson invites the audience to feel as one with them, to see the world afresh through a child’s eyes. In Paradise is Burning, she finds hope even where life deals the hardest blows. Her debut heralds a sensitive new voice in cinema and proves some of our deepest truths are learned not in schools but in experiences of the heart.
Living Without Nets
Three sisters find themselves adrift one Swedish summer. With their mother nowhere to be found, eldest Laura takes charge of younger siblings Mira and Steffi. At just 16, the responsibility weighs heavy on Laura’s shoulders. 12-year-old Mira seeks her independence while lively 7-year-old Steffi enjoys these carefree days.
Left to their own devices, the girls fill their days with adventure. We follow their escapades—riding bikes through tall grass, swimming in neighbors’ pools uninvited. Yet a sense of unease lingers. Without parents, who will catch them should they fall?
Trouble arrives with a phone call from social services. A visit from an agent looms to check on the family’s welfare. For Laura, this poses a threat to their untethered lifestyle. She knows well that without an adult, the girls risk being separated.
A chance encounter brings Laura together with wandering spirit Hanna. In the older woman, Laura sees a potential savior—perhaps Hanna can pose as mother when the agent comes. Yet Hanna remains an enigma, her bond with Laura as complex as it is necessary.
Other colorful characters take the edge off hardship. Zara, a kind neighbor, lends support. Even a karaoke-loving man becomes important to inquisitive Mira. Through it all, the sistersconnection proves strongest. Whether braving the system or riding out summer’s last days, they face all challenges as one.
In the girls’ everyday adventures and dilemmas, Mika Gustafson unveils the resilience of youth. Her debut brings us into the heart of a non-traditional family, finding beauty in their struggles to simply be children.
Capturing Childhood
Paradise is Burning feels unlike any other coming-of-age film. Its director, Mika Gustafson, brings a documentary spirit, observing her young subjects with care and respect. She seems to understand childhood in a unique way.
Gustafson opts for a sharp handheld style, putting us right alongside the sisters as they play. We feel grass between our toes and taste the salt of summer sweat. Her camera watches without judgment, allowing private moments to unfold. Through this intimate lens, we forge strong bonds with the girls over the movie’s rhythmical pace.
The episodic structure reflects the untamed flow of a summer break. One scene bleeds seamlessly into the next, whether laughter or tears prevail. Gustafson trusts her audience to feel the changeable moods of these vivid days and nights. We experience them as the sisters do—lived piece by piece, a treasure of memory.
With episodes both cheerful and ominous, the film strikes a poignant balance. Gustafson acknowledges hardship but refuses to linger in darkness. Her direction always returns us to sunlight. As with childhood itself, Paradise is Burning knows both frivolity and fear, hope alongside heartache. It presents an experience rather than a singular emotion, much like life.
In Gustafson’s capable artist’s eye, these Swedish shores become a refuge, this summer an ageless gift. Her observational style makes their world ours, so we may hold their moments of joy close in times of suffering, as reminders spring will come again.
The Strength of Sisters
At the heart of Paradise is Burning lie three remarkable performances. Bianca Delbravo breathes life into Laura, capturing a girl thrust too soon to motherhood. She shows both Laura’s care for her sisters and her own youth still left behind. Delbravo makes Laura’s journey transcend the screen, her humanity speaking straight to the soul.
As the playful Mira, Dilvin Asaad brings levity despite hardships. Mira rebels against duty but treasures her sisters’ bond. Asaad ensures we feel Mira’s childish spirit even as responsibility looms.
Then there is Safira Mossberg’s Steffi. With innocence and wide-eyed wonder, she makes us see the world afresh. Steffi’s joy reminds us to find magic where we can. Mossberg is a rising talent sure to delight audiences for years.
Together, the actresses form a sisterhood as real as any family. Their bond, as raw and fun as childhood, proves the film’s beating heart. Director Mika Gustafson lets this ensemble shine, capturing life’s messy beauty through their lived experiences.
We feel each girl’s hopes, from Laura wishing to keep her world whole to Mira testing wings soon clipped. In Steffi’s eager smiles, they find solace in each other’s purpose. Their dynamic carries the heavier material, lightened by love, stronger than any hardship. Through both tears and grins, the cast makes their summer unforgettable. Paradise is burning gifts for us sisters to cherish, in cinema and beyond.
Steadying Forces
Several profound notions lie at the heart of Paradise: burning. Central is the theme of childhood itself—what it means to be a kid, with responsibilities far outstripping years. Here, three sisters find that balance so elusive yet so essential.
Director Mika Gustafson explores how freedom transforms when paired with duty. For Laura, protecting her siblings replaces joy’s simplicity. Still a child, now she must act as the guardian. Between obligations and spirit, where does one find space to just be young?
A fragile equilibrium exists too between independence and the chaos always threatening. Without oversight, the sisters risk falling into harm’s path. Yet total autonomy has also been stolen by a system meant to safeguard it. Gustafson questions whether bureaucracy understands circumstance like the heart can.
Subtly, she critiques how policies intended to help may instead compound struggles. Faced with such a system, the film shows children standing steadfast for the family they have built themselves.Gustafson sees strengths where authority sees only flaws and invites her audience to do the same.
Overall, Paradise is Burning ponders life’s steadying counterweights, be they siblings’ love or mere summer’s careless days. When foundations shake, it finds the resilience of the heart outpaces broken rules or absent parents. Some bonds can weather any storm, and in communities we choose rather than those given, a child might yet find haven.
Moments in Light
Mika Gustafson brings Paradise is Burning’s Swedish housing estate vibrantly to life. Through her lens, we feel sun-warmed walls and smell grass trodden underfoot. Gustafson captures these working-class environs with utmost authenticity, their scuffed charm conveyed with care.
Sound too plays no small role. Music wafting from radios or murmured between sisters infuses even the bleakest moments with hope. Score and soundtrack speak to the transcendent power of song, reminding us that in any place or time, beauty may surface in fleeting melodies.
Most striking though is Gustafson’s cinematography. With cameras wielded as lovingly as the children clutch one another, she invites us into their intimate world. Through soft sunlight and lamplight’s glow, we find nourishment for the soul. Her photography renders moments profound simply by beholding each innocent face, each private joy shared between siblings.
In Gustafson’s skilled artist’s eyes, Paradise is Burning loses no magic for the setting’s perceived crudeness. She transforms grayscale landscapes into realms where light still finds entry, where, in dancing dust motes or smiling eyes, traces of wonder persist despite life’s blows. Her production ensures these girls’ summer lives will live on in memory as spellbinding as Danish sunsets, hardships no match for everyday gifts of grace that she so beautifully weaves from ordinary threads.
Treasured Moments
Mika Gustafson’s debut proves a resonant work that lingers long after credits roll. Her compelling stories, rooted in humanity, invite us deep within another’s life. Through deft direction and masterful young performances, Gustafson crafts a moving portrait of family against adversity.
At Paradise is Burning’s heartbeat for three remarkable sisters, brought to life by Bianca, Dilvin, and Safira’s transcendent acting. Their bond, tested yet never broken, gives the film a profound soul. Gustafson captures childhood from within, respecting each fleeting moment’s magic. Her observational style makes their world ours to cherish.
This drama stimulates both empathy and reflection. We question society’s function and how best its duty aligns with nurturing youthful spirit. Gustafson subverts expectations at every turn, finding hope where others see only bleakness. Her debut transcends with a message as timeless as it is timely.
Paradise is burning gifts and memories to carry. Its seamless melding of truth and artistry resonates deeply. Gustafson establishes herself as an empathetic visionary, inviting reflection on life’s precious things. For intimate portraiture and fierce compassion, her work stands out among the year’s finest. This is a film to treasure, as its characters treasure the love of keeping their world aloft against all storms. A story to feel in your soul, long after the finale fades to black.
The Review
Paradise Is Burning
In Gustafson's artistic debut, resilience and humanity prevail. Her observational lens renders ordinary lives extraordinary, finding hope's harbor where others see only stormy seas. Paradise is Burning artfully illuminates life's unassuming treasures—in loved ones who complete us, moments without price, and summer's simple solace. This moving film invites reflection on society and its duties, resonating in memory like sunlight on skin.
PROS
- Natural and heartfelt performances from the child actors
- Poignant exploration of complex themes like family, responsibility, and autonomy
- Evocative direction that immerses viewers in the sisters' world
- Subtle critique of societal systems meant to protect vulnerable children
- Hopeful tone that finds beauty amidst struggles
CONS
- I could have delved deeper into some characters' backstories
- Pacing was slightly uneven at times
- Potential for certain plots to be more fully realized
