T H E F I L M
“Something every day needs to be sweet,” says Meg Ray in this charming feature documentary about a tiny café on a remote island in the Baltic Sea, at risk of closing down unless Meg and a small group of passionate islanders can save it.
Café Truten on the island of Rödlöga is only open for eight weeks a year but it serves as a lifeline for the people who live in this far-flung part of the Baltic Sea. Compelled by a sense of destiny and the ramshackle charm of the bakery, Meg leaves her patisserie business in the California Bay Area to help transform Café Truten from its dust-filled, ice-covered hibernation winter state in order to open for the Swedish holiday of Midsummer Day.
Sweet Störy is a reminder of what is possible when just a few people set out to make their small corner of the world a better place.
S N E E K P E E K :
Sarah Kerruish & Matt Maude
Q&A with the Directors
How did this film come about?
Sarah Kerruish: When I first heard about Meg and her adventures on Rödlöga, I knew instantly that I would make a film about it. The idea of a tiny bakery on a remote island that was in danger of being lost encapsulates everything I’m interested in; a strong call to adventure, island life (I grew up on one), baking, and what a small group of people can achieve when passion and purpose collide.
I also have an inexplicable love affair with Sweden. Some places call to your soul. Sweden is one of those places for me. Maybe it is because my Scandinavian Viking ancestors settled on my island home in the Irish Sea. Or maybe it’s the exquisite Midsummer light. Or the Cardamom buns. Or perhaps all three? I’ll never know for sure but I feel the connection deeply.
Why did you make this film?
Sarah Kerruish: I have lots of ideas for films but the ones that get made are like little birds sitting on my shoulder and pecking at my head. They will not stop until I start making the film.
I do feel somewhat apologetic that this is unabashedly a sweet story. There are so many important issues in the world that need documenting, especially now, but I am a great believer in William Blake’s quote, “Kiss joy as it flies”. As much as we do need to stand up to the forces of oppression, we also need to enjoy our lives today.
What was it like filming on the island?
Sarah Kerruish: There were so many extraordinary moments in the making of this film. First of all, the serenity and beauty of Rödlöga are unlike anything I have experienced. As Maria says, “the island captures your heart and soul in a special way.” The fact that there is no internet and very little mobile coverage, let alone plugs for charging, also made it a very special experience. It’s like stepping back in time. Then there’s the fact that we were filming in one of the best bakeries in the world so the treats were the best ever on a film set as far as I was concerned. However, the islanders were the best part of the whole journey. We made some friends for life.
Matt Maude: Every project you shoot when you’re travelling abroad (especially without a unit base or local fixer) has its challenges. But filming on a remote island where there’s no electricity available was definitely one of the strangest set ups I’ve encountered. Throughout the weeks we shot on Rödlöga we also stayed on the island and it meant we had to look at innovative ways in which we could charge our batteries. Firstly by taking quite a few battery storage packs, and then relying on solar arrays to charge these. Helpfully we were also filming over the summer solstice in a part of the world where the sun only sets for about an hour a day, so we got nearly 23 hours of recharging done most days!
One of my favourite memories of filming was when we went blueberry picking. We really needed some footage of Meg outside of the Café and foraging for local berries sounded like an incredibly idyllic thing to do. In reality, it was literally torture. The area where blueberries grow on this island is also where all the mosquitoes breed, and it wasn’t until we got there that Meg told us this fact, and that wearing long sleeve clothing might actually have been a good idea. Camy (one of the film’s other cinematographers) and I, wearing T-shirts and shorts, were eaten alive. Within five minutes our entire bodies were riddled with mosquito bites. For the next four days Camy and I looked like we had chicken pocks. And I’ve never been itcher in my life.
Watching the sequence back is really funny to me. Because it’s all calm and thoughtful and introspective and beautiful. Shooting it felt like we were in a scene from Jumanji.
What were the successes that you had in making this film?
Matt Maude: From a very practical perspective, we always had full batteries and empty cards available! Not the easiest thing to manage on an island without electricity.
Sarah Kerruish: For me, the best part of any film is the people you make it with. I love the collaborative nature of filmmaking and the small crew of people that worked on this film are exceptionally talented. One of the unexpected successes of making Sweet Störy was the opportunity to develop an original score with the incredible composer Benji Merrison, master conductor Ragnar Bohlin and the most beautiful Swedish Choir.
What do you want audiences to take away from 'Sweet Störy'?
Sarah Kerruish: The stories I love the most are the ones about people who leave their life as they know it and dare to ‘step out in the direction of their dreams’. I hope that people who see Sweet Störy will think about any ‘other life’ they dream of and have a little more courage to take a step in that direction.
Matt Maude: Go on summer holidays for eight weeks at a time. Switch off the electricity. Make bread. Repeat.
Where do you find inspiration or who/what has influenced you as a filmmaker?
Sarah Kerruish: Michael Apted’s groundbreaking documentary series Seven Up convinced me that real life is always better than fiction and inspired me to make documentaries.
What are your hopes for the film?
Sarah Kerruish: Our hope is that many more people will visit Rödlöga and the outer Stockholm Archipelago to experience the unique balance that Rödlogans are able to achieve every summer, living in such close proximity with nature and without many of the distractions of modern life.
We’d also love to encourage people who are interested in helping the Rödlogans contribute towards the protection of this incredible area of the world to donate. There is a fund collecting donations to maintain the properties of rödlögaboden, and every penny is gratefully received! Rödlögaboden Ekonomisk Förening, IBAN: SE87 8000 0832 7969 4112 8552, BIC: SWEDSESS or Swish (payment service in Sweden) 123 288 44 50.
There is also a charity called Race for the Baltic that welcomes donations to support their work to reduce pollution and develop a more sustainable Baltic Sea.
