Patrik, Age 1.5

31 March 2011
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Patrik, Age 1.5 is a foreign film (with subtitles) about a gay couple in Sweden who try to adopt a baby. The acting of all three main characters is amazing, and the movie takes on a surreal portrayal of suburbia, similarly to Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands."

Sven and Goran move to a suburban town and are approved as adoptive parents. Now all they need to do is wait for a baby to become available. But homophobia rears its ugly head and obstacle after obstacle are thrown up in their path to parenthood. Finally, they are notified by the adoption service that a 1.5 year old child is available to adopt, but they get a boy named Patrik who is a 15 year old, homophobic, rebellious orphan and a convicted criminal.

While Sven and Goran try to sort out the mistake over a long weekend when the adoption service is closed, they provide a home to the angry boy, whose presence causes turmoil in their home and relationship. When the adoption service opens, it turns out that there was a typo --- their "baby" was not 1.5, but instead aged 15.

This is a wonderful, uplifting and sweet film that avoids typical stereotypes, and the performance of Thomas Ljungman as Patrik is truly amazing. The movie sets out to exemplify the ideal adoptive dad in Goran, played by Gustaf Skarsgård. Every gay couple looking to build a family should watch this heartfelt film.