In the age of COVID-19, much of what we do to feel “alive” on a daily basis is inhibited in some way or form. Depending on where we are in the world, we may be unable to participate in organized sports, meet up with our friends at a bar, or even leave our houses. Swedish filmmaker Jimmy Olsson’s short film, Alive, took to the festival circuit before COVID-19 became our waking nightmare, but it speaks to the frustration we’ve all been feeling, the lamenting for a life going unfulfilled.

Victoria (Eve Johansson) is wheelchair bound and also afflicted with brain damage that makes speech difficult. When she meets her caregiver Ida’s (Madeleine Martin) boyfriend for the first time, she suddenly expresses to Ida a desire to have sexual relations and, above all, to be wanted. Ida is supportive at first, and cheerfully assists Victoria in setting up a Tinder profile, but she becomes concerned when Victoria arranges her first rendezvous with a Tinder match to take place in her own apartment. The situation makes Ida question the extent to which she can protect Victoria, and makes us question the autonomy that we all need to seize in order to become secure with ourselves. Perhaps more importantly, though, Alive directs us to consider a disabled woman’s sexuality. It is not about a disabled woman’s yearning to go swimming or go to the park—we see that under Ida’s care she is able to do these activities—it is about the sexuality that we, even with a compassionate eye, too often ignore.

An intimate and patient film, Alive is a sensitively sketched slice of life, told straight-up and without any winks or nods. It is anchored by its two leads, who have worked together to forge an authentic chemistry that reflects true friendship, but always exists within the professional realm established. If this film has one shortcoming, it is that it seems torn between which character’s point of view it wants us to adopt. In forging an intrinsic link between Victoria and Ida, though, we get a more nuanced rumination on how we echo in each other’s heads long after we’ve left each other’s sides. This is made particularly and poetically evident during a montage in the film’s middle, which juxtaposes Victoria’s routine of getting ready for bed with a moment of intimacy between Ida and her boyfriend.

Olsson achieves further success with his script, which harnesses naturalistic dialogue to round out his characters and make them feel whole. He doubles down by working with director of photography Staffan Övgård, who employs shallow focus and soft lighting to better immerse us in the characters’ lives. It is intimacy like this that reminds us of what we can return to once social distancing measures are finally removed.

Alive had its international premier at the Cleveland International Film Festival this year. Upcoming festivals that will screen the film include Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival (November 11th-22nd), POFF Shorts (November 17th-25th) and Bogo Shorts (December 8th-15th).

"Alive"; An Intimate and Patient Film from Swedish Filmmaker Jimmy Olsson