History Film / Evil2003

* KneelBeforeZod: A heroic inversion. [[spoiler:As Erik confronts Otto for all the bullying he has done when he is alone, he orders Otto to get down on his knees under the threat of beating him [[CarryABigStick with a heavy branch]] if he doesn't oblige. A scared Otto immediately complies so.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:When Erik confronts Otto while latter is alone in the woods and threatens to pay back for all the bullying he has done, Otto becomes so scared that his usual smugness instantly vanishes, he first tries to bribe Erik into letting him go and then [[VillainsWantMercy pathetically begs him not to hurt him]] while crying and even vomiting.]]

''Evil'' (Ondskan) is a 2003 drama film from Sweden directed by Mikael Håfström. It is based on writer Jan Guillou's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name from 1981.

* VomitIndiscretionShot

** [[spoiler:At the end Otto's stark terror at facing Erik [[StressVomit causes him to vomit]] all over himself.]]

* MoneyIsNotPower: [[spoiler:When Erik confronts Otto while he is alone in the woods and threatens to violently kill him, a scared Otto immediately begins to attempt to bargain with Erik, offering to give him 10.000 kroner [[note]]equivalent to around 980 dollars in today's money[[/note]] if he just lets him leave unharmed. Erik just disdainfully scoffs at this, asking him: "10.000? Is that ''all'' you're worth?"]]

* MoneyIsNotPower: When Erik confronts Otto while he is alone in the woods and threatens to violently kill him, a scared Otto immediately begins to attempt to bargain with Erik, offering to give him 10.000 kroner [[note]]equivalent to around 980 dollars in today's money[[/note]] if he just lets him leave unharmed. Erik just disdainfully scoffs at this, asking him: "10.000? Is that ''all'' you're worth?"

** A variation: [[spoiler:When Erik confronts Otto in the forest and threatens to kill him, Otto tries to get him to back off by telling him that he will never get away with it. Erik just coolly describes how he has already considered both how to dispose of any evidence of the crime and how to make sure that Otto's body will never be identified once he is done with him. This completely cows Otto who breaks down crying and vomiting in fear.[[

* KneelBeforeZod: A heroic inversion. As Erik confronts Otto for all the bullying he has done, he orders Otto to get down on his knees under the threat of beating him [[CarryABigStick with a heavy branch]] if he doesn't oblige. A scared Otto does so.

** The teachers at the prep school are shockingly indifferent to the torture, beatings, and violence going on under their noses. In one scene Otto is pounding away at Erik's face until Erik is drenched with blood and both Otto and the walls are splattered with it. Marja screams, which finally rouses the headmaster, who ambles into the cafeteria and tells Otto to knock it off. And that's all that he does.

* TheChainOfHarm: Pierre speculates on what made Otto such a brutal sociopath, suggesting that it's probably because he himself was victimized when he was a younger student at the school. Pierre thinks the cycle will go on forever. At the end Erik breaks the cycle, first by passing up a chance to pulverize a terrified Otto, and then calling in a lawyer to force changes in the school.
* DirtyCoward: For his acting high and mighty, Otto Silverhielm proves to be a pushover when Erik confronts him when he is alone in the woods without his GangOfBullies to back him up. When Erik threatens to kill him, his smug bravado instantly disappears, and he breaks down in tears, [[StressVomit throws up in fear]], and [[VillainsWantMercy pathetically begs for his life]].

* EvilTeacher: Melander. He's not much of an antagonist, but despite the novel taking place after the events of World War 2, he is a believer in National Socialism and during his lessons in racial biology he praises the Germanic ethnicity and even condemns Pierre for his southern-European characteristics.

* IdentificationByDentalRecords: Invoked. Erik corners Otto and threatens to remove all his teeth so there would be nothing to identify after killing him. [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim He doesn't go through with it.]]

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Erik comes back home and tells his stepfather that he's going to beat him so badly that Stepdad will have a broken nose and won't be able to see. Tragically, the scene cuts away before Erik delivers his beatdown.
* OhCrap: Otto gets this when he sees Erik [[CurbStompBattle destroying Dalen and his goon two seconds flat]] when he finally accepts their fight-challange and then pointing a threatening finger at him, realizing that if Erik so wanted, he could've easily destroyed Otto physically at anytime and when that happens, there is nothing Otto can do to save himself...
* OneGenderSchool: Erik attends a hellish prep school for boys.

* TimePassesMontage: Before things start really going downhill at the prep school, there's a montage showing relatively normal activities like Erik and Pierre running around in the halls, the Nazi teacher (there is one!) teaching, and the kids playing soccer.

** A variation: When Erik confronts Otto in the forest and threatens to kill him, Otto tries to get him to back off by telling him that he will never get away with it. Erik just coolly describes how he has already considered both how to dispose of any evidence of the crime and how to make sure that Otto's body will never be identified once he is done with him. This completely cows Otto who breaks down crying and vomiting in fear.
** He does a more straight version to his abusive stepfather later, as he informs him that his rein of terror in the household is over, telling carefully him how he is going to hurt him and put fear into him.
--->'''Erik:''' ''(fixing his stepfather with a KubrickStare)'' In half an hour you're going to be in the hospital. You won't be able to see, because your eyes will be too swollen. Your nosebone will be snapped, and your arms will be broken. You won't dare tell anyone. You'll say that you [[CutHimselfShaving fell down the stairs]].

* VillainousBreakdown: When Erik confronts Otto while latter is alone and threatens to pay back for all the bullying he has done, Otto becomes so scared that his usual smug bravado instantly vanishes, he first tries to bribe Erik into letting him go and then [[VillainsWantMercy pathetically begs him not to hurt him]] while crying and even vomiting.
* ViolenceReallyIsTheAnswer: The family-unfriendly message at the end is that violence was the answer to crush the GangOfBullies. Erik [[TurnTheOtherCheek turns the other cheek]] for almost the entire movie, and his reward is to suffer horrific torture that ends with him nearly getting murdered, and his best friend Pierre is beaten to a pulp before leaving the school. However, once Erik does decide to start hurting people, he delivers an immensely satisfying beatdown to Dalen that ends in Dalen crawling out of the ring with a shattered nose. Just the ''threat'' of violence to Otto, whom Erik catches alone without his goon squad, results in Otto dropping to his knees and crying like a little girl before he pukes all over himself. Then at the end he goes home, tells his brutal stepfather that the stepfather has to leave the house, and then gives him a beating as well (offscreen).

** At the end Otto's stark terror at facing Erik causes him to vomit all over himself.

* OffOnATechnicality: A rare, not directly court-related version, and even one in favor of the protagonist. Mr. Lindblad, the headmaster of Stjärnsberg, expels Erik, using the letter from Maja that Otto stole as evidence to prove that he has had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Erik discusses his case with mother's friend, Mr. Ekengren, who is a lawyer. Mr. Ekengren points out that the school intercepting the letter in the first place constitutes a serious breach of Sweden's secrecy of correspondence laws, meaning that Erik has sufficient grounds to report the school to the police for mail theft. Mr. Ekengren goes with Erik to Mr. Lindblad to confront him over this, pointing out that it would be rather embarrassing him for both him and the school to be caught with a stolen letter, and that also he happens to be good friends with a journalist who would probably be interested in giving the case some extra publicity. Mr. Lindblad quickly realizes the pickle he is in; using the letter, the only evidence he has to base Erik's expulsion on, will also mean having to admit that he knowingly had a illegally intercepted letter in his possession. He begrudging agrees to have Erik reinstated, giving Maja's letter back, and pretend that the whole thing never happened.

* OffOnATechnicality: A rare, not directly court-related version, and even one in favor of the protagonist. Mr. Lindblad, the headmaster of Stjärnsberg, expels Erik, using the letter from Maja that Otto stole as evidence to prove that he has had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Erik discusses his case with mother's friend, Mr. Ekengren, who is a lawyer. Mr. Ekengren points out that the school intercepting the letter in the first place constitutes a serious breach of Sweden's secrecy of correspondence laws, meaning that Erik has sufficient grounds to report the school to the police for mail theft. Mr. Ekengren goes with Erik to Mr. Lindblad to confront him over this, threatening him with the fact that it would be rather embarrassing him for both him and the school to be caught with a stolen letter. Mr. Lindblad quickly realizes the pickle he is in; using the letter, the only evidence he has to base Erik's expulsion on, will also mean having to admit that he knowingly had a illegally intercepted letter in his possession. He begrudging agrees to have Erik reinstated, giving Maja's letter back, and pretend that the whole thing never happened.

* OffOnATechnicality: Mr. Lindblad, the headmaster of Stjärnsberg, expels Erik, using the letter from Maja that Otto stole as evidence to prove that he has had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Erik discusses his case with mother's friend, Mr. Ekengren, who is a lawyer. Mr. Ekengren points out that the school intercepting the letter in the first place constitutes a serious breach of Sweden's secrecy of correspondence laws, meaning that Erik has sufficient grounds to report the school to the police for mail theft. Mr. Ekengren goes with Erik to Mr. Lindblad to confront him over this, threatening him with the fact that it would be rather embarrassing him for both him and the school to be caught with a stolen letter. Mr. Lindblad quickly realizes the pickle he is in; using the letter, the only evidence he has to base Erik's expulsion on, will also mean having to admit that he knowingly had a illegally intercepted letter in his possession. He begrudging agrees to have Erik reinstated, giving Maja's letter back, and pretend that the whole thing never happened.

* OffOnATechnicality: Mr. Lindblad, the headmaster of Stjärnsberg, expels Erik, using the intercepted letter from Maja that Otto as evidence to proving that he has an that he has had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Erik discusses his case with mother's friend, Mr. Ekengren, who is a lawyer. Mr. Ekengren points out that the school intercepting the letter in the first place constitutes a serious breach of Sweden's secrecy of correspondence laws, meaning that Erik has sufficient grounds to report the school to the police for mail theft. Mr. Ekengren goes with Erik to Mr. Lindblad to confront him over this, threatening him with the fact that it would be rather embarrassing him for both him and the school to be caught with a stolen letter. Mr. Lindblad quickly realizes the pickle he is in; using the letter, the only evidence he has to base Erik's expulsion on, will also mean having to admit that he knowingly had a illegally intercepted letter in his possession. He begrudging agrees to have Erik reinstated, giving Maja's letter back, and pretend that the whole thing never happened.

Erik is a young teenager in 1950s Sweden. His stepfather is a cruel and vicious man who beats him. Some time passes, and Erik grows into a troubled young man, regularly getting to fights at school as he takes the violence regularly inflicted on him out on others. He is expelled, with the headmaster at his school calling him "evil".

* DirtyCoward: Especially Otto. He breaks down in tears, [[StressVomit throws up in fear]], and [[VillainsWantMercy pathetically begs for his life]] when Erik tracks him down in the forest while he is alone and has none of his friends to back him up.

* OhCrap: Otto gets this when he sees Erik [[CurbStompBattle destroying Dalen and his goon two seconds flat]] when he finally accepts their fight-challange and then pointing a threatening finger at him, realizing that if Erik so wanted, he could've easily destroyed Otto physically at anytime and when thats happens, there is nothing Otto can do to save himself...

* {{Unishment}}: Most of the punishments that Otto and Dalen inflict on Erik are savage and cruel. But at one point they take away his weekend pass to go home... which allows him to hang out all weekend with beautiful Marja, the cafeteria worker. Before the week is over the two of them are kissing in the grove of trees.

* MoneyIsNotPower: When Erik confronts Otto while he and threatens to violently kill him, a scared Otto immediately begins to attempt to bargain with Erik, offering to give him 10.000 kroner [[note]]equivalent to around 980 dollars in today's money[[/note]] if he just lets him leave unharmed. Erik just disdainfully scoffs at this, asking him: "10.000? Is that ''all'' you're worth?"

* OhCrap: Otto gets this when he sees Erik [[CurbStompBattle destroying Dalen and his goon two seconds flat]] when he finally accepts their fight-challange and then pointing a threatening finger at him, realizing that if Erik so wanted, he could've easily destroyed Otto physically at anytime.

* OhCrap: Otto gets this when he sees Erik [[CurbStompBattle destroying Dalen and his goon two seconds flat]] when he finally accepts their fight-challange and then pointing a threatening finger at him, realizing that if Erik so wanted, he could've easily destroyed Otto physically anytime.

* MoneyIsNotPower: When Erik confronts Otto while he and threatens to violently kill him, a scared Otto immediately begins to attempt to bargain with Erik, offering to give him 10.000 kroner (equivalent to around 980 dollars in today's money) if he just lets him leave unharmed. Erik just disdainfully scoffs at this, asking him: "10.000? Is that ''all'' you're worth?"

* MoneyIsNotPower: When Erik confronts Otto while he and threatens to violently kill him, a scared Otto immediately begins to attempt to bargain with Erik, offering to give him 10.000 kroner if he just lets him leave unharmed. Erik just disdainfully scoffs at this, asking him: "10.000? Is that ''all'' you're worth?"

** He does a more straight version to his abusive stepfather later, as he informs him that his rein of terror in the household is over, telling carefully him how he is going to hurt him and put fear into him, and that if anyone asks to his injuries, all he will be ''allowed'' to say is that [[CutHimselfShaving he fell down some stairs]].