It's already over four years ago, but the memory is fading – bookstores and cinemas are not overflowing with novels and films about the coronavirus spring of 2020. Compare it to how many films and TV series are made about true crime and war.
It's as if some traumas you wallow in over and over again, and some you want to run away from, says Bianca Kronlöf, who calls it disrespectful towards the healthcare staff who don't get to see their heroic stories told.
There's a constant hunt for something new within the media. New crises. It's as if the rest of the world has run away from the people who actually worked in healthcare during the pandemic. Or those who lost their loved ones, which was their life trauma.
True Story
The new film "As Long as the Heart Beats", which premieres on September 27, is inspired by the true story of healthcare assistant Stine Christophersen, who alerted the media to the inadequate coronavirus care at an elderly care home within Attendo Care.
Like her real-life counterpart, the film's whistleblower Hanne (Bianca Kronlöf) receives a warning and is threatened with dismissal for lack of loyalty. Her fight for justice is the theme of the film.
But are cinema-goers ready for a film about the pandemic? Director Ella Lemhagen says she's heard from worried cinema owners who think the film is too dark and painful to watch.
But at the same time, this is a film that also contains a lot of light and shows a way forward. It's a film that's very much about the will to fight and believe in change, she says.
Decisive Verdict
Hanne is a dream role for Bianca Kronlöf. Politics has always been a big part of her artistry.
The best thing is when you can combine both. If I had only been interested in politics, I would have been a politician or social debater. It's when it's something that's exciting and emotionally engaging and you feel that it's important that it raises the story to a new level.
The court case that the film is inspired by has gone all the way to the Supreme Court. Two former managers at Attendo Care have been convicted in district and appellate courts for violating whistleblower protection.
Bianca Kronlöf is eagerly awaiting the Supreme Court verdict.
I think it's very decisive. It will say something about where Sweden and healthcare are headed. And that's the question this film also asks. So, therefore, the responsibility to tell this story is even greater.
39 years old. Comedian and actress who got her big breakthrough together with her sister Tiffany in "Full patte" on SVT Flow in 2014, which also toured with Riksteatern. They have also toured as Familjen Kaos.
Has made roles in film and TV in "Svenskjävel" (2015), "Monky" (2017), and "Tunn is" (TV4, 2020) and "Deg" (SVT, 2021). Has also appeared in "Parlamentet" on TV4, "Bäst i test" on SVT. Received the award for Best Newcomer at the Guldbagge Awards in 2016.
Also engaged in "The New Academy" during #metoo and was noticed in 2021 for an open letter she wrote, addressed to, among others, the comedy industry. The same year, her book "Letter to the Man" was published.
