Review: Swede Caroline

Cinema: Swede Caroline (2024)

This British mokumentary dives into the world of competitive vegetable growing, focusing on Caroline (Jo Hartley) and her friends when her prized marrow plants are stolen from her greenhouse.

Desperate to find out who is behind the crime, she employs the help of two private detectives (Aisling Bea and Ray Fearon)…who also are swingers and are the butt of many gags (see what I did there!?).

When the detectives are kidnapped, Caroline finds herself caught in a national corruption scandal.

Always happy to support indie filmmaking here at 60MW, it was a pleasure to get an advance screening of Swede Caroline, and also a pleasure to watch a movie headed by a working class female character, superbly played by Jo Hartley.

Hopping from such recognisable and traditional British locations as the back garden, the local chippy, the kitchen and the allotment, Swede Caroline has instantly recognisable backdrops that everyone can relate to, along with characters dropping witty lines of dialogue throughout…my favourite being Paul (Richard Lumsden), whose overinflated opinion of himself and everything he does made his lines to camera all the more humorous.

At 98 minutes long the plot did begin to wear a little thin and repetitive, leaving me wanting things to be hurried along a little, but the continuing witty dialogue helped alleviate that somewhat.

Swede Caroline is a charming British comedy that will forever change the way you look at a marrow.

Swede Caroline is in UK Cinemas from 19th April.

Review by Dave from a screening link kindly supplied by Strike Media.