Swede Caroline

Written and co-directed by Brock Driver alongside Finn Bruce, pun-titled mockumentary Swede Caroline centres around champion marrow grower Caroline (a wonderfully deadpan Jo Hartley), who’s preparing for the upcoming competition after a controversy saw her disqualified the previous year. Working alongside her neighbour Willy (Celyn Jones) and conspiracy-obsessed friend Paul (Richard Lumsden), she’s nurtured a mammoth marrow nicknamed Ricky Hutton. However, disaster strikes when the prized vegetable is stolen in the middle of the night by masked thieves. Kidnapping, shady schemes and cut-throat competition follow, as the trio get swept up in chaotic events which quickly spiral out of control.

Sitting somewhere between Hot Fuzz and Sightseers in terms of its tone, Swede Caroline is a ridiculously fun romp from the outset. Complete with a highly stylised and dramatic opening title sequence, which parodies those of Netflix true crime documentaries, the filmmakers nail the balance between mundanity and absurdity. This makes for many genuinely funny moments throughout the film, with one of the best seeing mayhem erupt after the trio attempt to stealthily observe an allotment.

At the centre of it all is Hartley’s pitch-perfect performance as the down-to-earth Caroline, who’d much rather eat some chips in her car than deal with the headache of recovering her marrow. Jones and Lumsden are likewise delightful in the supporting roles, adding to the fun with their own collection of quippy one-liners. Rounding out the cast are Aisling Bea and Ray Fearon as a pair of private investigators and swingers, alongside small cameos from Alice Lowe and Fay Ripley, all of whom bring some extra flair to events despite not having much screen time.

While there’s no shortage of fun to be had while watching this movie, the plot could have benefited from some tightening. Subplots about Caroline’s ex-husband and Willy’s own ex-girlfriend, for example, don’t feed into the rest of the narrative and could have been removed entirely without much consequence. The main mystery itself also doesn’t hold up so well to scrutiny once all the pieces come together, with some lulls in between some scenes causing the pacing to drag at points.

Although the conspiracy at the heart of this vegetable-based caper isn’t as enthralling as it could have been, the joy of this feature comes from watching this ludicrous tale play out.

Andrew Murray

Swede Caroline is released in select cinemas on 19^th April 2024.

Watch the trailer for Swede Caroline here: