Offtrack (Netflix, 2022)
Offtrack is a Swedish comedy-drama about thirty-something Lisa (Katia Winter), who tries to become more of a fighter and less of a quitter.
It’s like this. Lisa is a recent divorcee, who doesn’t have a job, drinks too much and isn’t a very good mother to her daughter Elvira.
After an evening on the lam she falls asleep on a park bench and ends up spending the night in jail.
Lisa really has to get her life back on track.
On the other hand, her brother Daniel (Frederik Hallgren) has a good job as an IT-specialist. He takes Lisa in after her apartment is flooded and Elvira (Kelly Flogell) goes to live with her father and his new flame.
Daniel is in training for the 90 km ski race Vasaloppet. Even though Lisa hates skiing, she promises to ski the race as well, so she can prove to herself that she deserves Elvira’s love.
There are other complications too. Daniel’s girlfriend Klara (Rakel Wärmländer) is trying to get pregnant through IVF, but Daniel doesn’t want anyone to know.
Characters are drawn in broad strokes in this mainstream comedy-drama, written by Maria Karlsson and directed by Marten Klingberg.
Offtrack begins around Christmas time, so it fits in with the season and the Swedish slopes look cold but lovely.
The movie doesn’t break much new ground but if you’re in the mood for a relatively straightforward comedy drama with a few surprises along the way, this will probably do the trick.