In this episode of Stream Close Up, Brian sits down with comedians and creators Sissela Benn and Jonatan Unge to talk about Popular Problems, their sharply observed new comedy series for SVT.

Based on their own former relationship and breakup, the show turns co-parenting, therapy, social services, and modern Swedish anxieties into painfully honest and often hilarious television. Benn and Unge discuss how the project grew out of an earlier Swedish Radio audio series, why they chose to mine their shared history for comedy, and how humor became a way to process a difficult separation. The conversation touches on collaboration after a breakup, drawing comedy from real life experiences, and the fine line between discomfort and truth that gives Popular Problems its bite.

Recorded on site ahead of a Stockholm Film Festival screening, the episode also captures the unpredictable realities of making podcasts outside the studio.

Popular Problems is set to debut on SVT in January.

It's funny.

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At the Stockholm Film Festival, Brian sits down with Dutch writer director Sven Bresser to talk about his debut feature Reedland, the stunning and meditative drama that has become the Netherlands’ official Oscar submission. Sven reflects on the film’s unusual blend of murder mystery and disappearing rural tradition, the influence of the reed landscape he grew up with, and the central performance by real life reed cutter Gerrit Knobbe. They discuss casting non actors, shaping cinematic language around nature, and how audiences around the world are responding to the film’s quiet exploration of fear, community and change.

Check out the Reedland Trailer

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Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani on "Reflection in a Dead Diamond"

On this episode of Stream Close Up, Brian sits down at the Stockholm Film Festival with filmmaking duo Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani to talk about their psychedelic spy film "Reflection in a Dead Diamond" The couple discuss twenty five years of working and living together, creating a twisted love letter to James Bond and sixties Italian cinema set on the sun soaked Mediterranean coast.

They break down the film’s surreal visual language, meticulous location scouting on the Cote d Azur, and their highly crafted sound design that draws on classic Italian genre films to create a hypnotic big screen experience. Bond fans and anyone into stylish surreal thrillers will want to seek this one out.

"Reflection in a Dead Diamond" features Fabio Testi, a cornerstone of Italian cinema. We'll hear about how he both inspired the film and ended up in the starring role.

Reflection In A Dead Diamond: Trailer

Reflections In A Dead Diamond will be available to stream on Shudder from December 5th.

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Five years ago Julia Decournau won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for her film “Titane”. We caught up with her on her recent visit to the Stockholm International Film Festival where she presented her latest work “Alpha”. It’s a multi-layered story of love and fear where a mother must navigate the possible exposure of her daughter to a virus that once killed her brother. As Julia will tell us, a synopsis can’t describe this or most other films.

Julia shares insight into some of her filmmaking choices, including the use of Nick Cave’s song “The Mercy Seat” to set the tone for pivotal scene.

Alpha: Trailer

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