Norsk filminstitutt

Down, out and on heroin in Malmö. An unusual film about a vulnerable, strong woman's struggle with herself and the world, shot over a period of eight years.

'I was born high,' says MonaLisa, whose mother was a drug addict and who now finds herself struggling to drop heroin before it's too late. 'When I took drugs for the first time, it was like coming home.' 

Jessica Nettelbladt has followed the long-suffering but at the same time proud and stubborn MonaLisa for eight years, and has documented her life's ups and downs, both in chemical and mental terms. And the result is an unusually honest - and raw - film. MonaLisa also has a past as a school teacher and mother. If you entertain a romantic notion about drugs, her story is an abrupt awakening to a reality that is anything but 'heroin chic'. What is romantic, however, is her relationship with Fredrik, another lost soul she meets while they are both well underway to destroying themselves. Monalisa falls in and out of abuse and prison during the eight years that Nettelbladt follows her. But maybe she and Fredrik are also each other's last chance? MonaLisa Story is the story of a both vulnerable and strong woman's struggle with herself and the world. 


Production and distribution

Production Year:
2016
Production country:
Sweden
Co production country:
Norway
Denmark
Production company:
Lejoni Filmproduksjon
Co production company:
True Fiction AS
Magic Hour Films
Associated producer:
Pär Anders Bevmo
Producer:
Jessica Nettelbladt
Co producer:
Cecilie Bjørnaraa
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Director

  • Jessica Nettelbladt

    Documentary filmmaker Jessica Nettelbladt is known for her unique narratives that explore existential and social themes. Intrigued by people on the outskirts of society, she applies a process-based method where filming is allowed to take time, even years. Her previous documentary feature, I Am My Own Dolly Parton, was praised by critics and screened at festivals and cinemas and broadcast on TV both in Sweden and abroad.
    Her latest film, MONALISA STORY, invites viewers to understand the anatomy of addiction and urges us to think deeper when it comes to nature, nurture and the accountability of society. By sharing MonaLisa’s story, she moves beyond the life of this brave individual and brings urgent social issues into sharp focus.
    Jessica Nettelbladt holds a Master’s degree in filmmaking from the Valand Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden. She is also a graduate of the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Nordic Documentary Film Academy at Biskops Arnö, and the Swedish School of Television.

     

    FILMOPGRAPHY: JESSICA NETTELBLADT

    2016   MONALISA STORY

    2011   JAG ÄR MIN EGEN DOLLY PARTON

    2009   MITT HELVETE 

    2007   I EDENS LUSTGÅRD

    2005   VÄGEN TILL PÄRLEPORTEN

Crew

Director:
Jessica Nettelbladt
Screenplay:
Jessica Nettelbladt
Cinematographer:
Jessica Nettelbladt
Editor:
Åsa Mossberg
Stefan Sundlöf
Composer:
Mattias Bärjed
Sound Design:
Tormod Ringnes
Sound engineer:
Tormod Ringnes
Sound Recording:
Jessica Nettelbladt

Technical information

Format:
DCP 2k
Length in min's:
90'
Language:
Swedish

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