Daybreak (2005) Synopsis:
Set in an unidentified small Swedish town, this tale centers on a handful of people over a 24-hour period. Some know each other, others don't, but come morning, all of their lives will have changed.
Daybreak (2005) Movie Review:
This three-strand Swedish drama has a lot to say about urban life, and it's beautifully filmed and acted. But it's so relentlessly miserable and serious that it's not easy to watch.
Over the course of one long night, three families are put through the ringer. Agnes (August) suspects her surgeon husband (Eklund) is cheating on her, but isn't remotely prepared for the revelations when they come. Three years after her divorce, Anita (Petren) finally lets her bitterness erupt against her ex-husband (Andersson) and his new wife (Sanna Krepper). And the bricklayer Anders (Magnus Krepper) is working too many hours to support his family, then an unusual job for a paranoid couple (Lindstrom and Hirdvall) finally makes him question his priorities.
The basic theme is how the frenetic pace of modern life divides us as human beings. These people are all struggling with time, money, fear, depression and anger at the injustice around them. And none are very good at dealing with these things, letting bitterness, betrayal and dishonesty erode their relationships. With such a well-worn theme, the writer-director Runge needs something fresh to grab us with his insights. But while the film is impeccably made and extremely raw and emotional, it's also unbearably gloomy, without a moment of real-life humour.
That said, the cast is terrific--easy to identify with even when they become unreasonable and completely crazed, as most of them do. August, Andersson and Magnus Krepper have the most sympathetic roles--we feel their pain as they confront extremely uncomfortable truths. Meanwhile, Eklund, Petren and Lindstrom are the out-of-control monsters with only a fragment of humanity left inside.
The three stories don't intertwine at all--they're only connected by the themes and the fact that all take place on the same night in the same town. When in its final moments, the film brings the strands together in a rather oblique way, Runge finds a faint glimpse of hope in the early morning sun. It's the only thing that makes the film (and life!) bearable. Although for some viewers it might be too late.
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Daybreak (2005) review written by: Rich Cline
13th October, 2008 
