Directors Henrik Larsson and Jakob Arevärn’s film Pierre West centers on Pierre, a young Swedish man, through two distinct periods of time in his life between 2007 and 2024, exploring his most emotional, joyful, and sadness-filled experiences and thoughts. Throughout the film, audiences witness Pierre as he navigates past trauma and the challenges of life. Filmed between 2007 and 2024, Pierre West sticks both as a time piece and a testament to the hard work of its creators in its poignant writing, emotional performances, and moving use of visual language.
In 2007, a lonely Pierre Emanuel West’s television broke, leading him to call the television company and speak with Eva, a customer service representative. The two exchanged conversation, with Eva offering Pierre her phone number. When Pierre attempts to call the number, the call fails, upsetting an already unsteady Pierre, who is trying to reconcile with past childhood trauma. After a time gap of 17 years, Pierre’s story resumes with him finding company in his pets, with one named Eva. After Eva the dog’s passing, Pierre struggles to reconcile with the loss and his past trauma. With the help of his close friend, Panagiotis, he finds a connection by leaning into creating music and taxi driving.
Pierre West places its audience with Pierre and his thoughts and experiences. Viewers witness his happier moments making music and connecting with others, as well as his darkest thoughts and reconciliations with his pain. To reflect this, Larsson and Arevärn utilize a closer shot scale for Pierre when he offers his thoughts and emotions to the viewers. This allows audiences to join his emotional journey and feel how he does. When not shot up close, Pierre is shot in wide with large amounts of negative space surrounding him, placing us away from Pierre’s view of himself and his life, and instead giving us an outsider’s perspective of him. This more distanced view of Pierre reflects his loneliness and desire for connection, as shown in his scenes at his job. Pierre longs for connection, as shown by his discussions with Eva. She is shot from a bit further away and offers a more a fresh positive perspective and life view for Pierre. These contrasting personalities and sides are proven not only in the script, but also in the colors of costumes and light within the film.
Throughout the film, Pierre is dressed in mostly yellow and black clothing, a representation of his stronger ever ever-changing emotions and feelings, and the conflicts he feels between them. Eva dresses similarly, showcasing her struggles within her own life. The two often wear similar colors on the same day, with both wearing blue in their first call together. Yellow and blue are contrasting colors and also symbolize different emotions, with blue usually representing sadness and calm, while yellow represents happiness and clarity. Pierre struggles with overcoming his past trauma and becoming happier, and some days are worse than others in this journey. His costuming changing reflects this, his ongoing effort. Additionally, the world around Pierre reflects his emotions in its lighting and color. Following the passing of his dog Eva, the world around Pierre appears incredibly blue, with his yellow jacket making him stand out within these scenes, another nod to Pierre trying to grieve and move forward while also feeling isolated from the world around him. By the end of the film, the world outside Pierre has grown brighter and less dark, a testament to his growth.
Pierre West guides audiences through Pierre’s poignant 17-year journey as he navigates life while healing from his past. The film’s characters and visual language power its ardent story, with vibrant colors in the costumes and the world they occupy. Henrik Larsson and Jakob Arevärn’s Pierre West is an incredibly unique piece that invites its audiences in for a moving story about one person’s desire to heal and connect in life despite the hardships life has dealt him.
Pierre West will be screening at the Fall 2025 New Jersey Film Festival on Sunday, September 21. The film will be Online for 24 Hours on this show date beginning at Midnight on this date. Tickets are available for purchase here.
The 44th Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place between September 5-October 10, 2025. The Festival will be a hybrid as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in-person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VoD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person screenings. Plus, we are very proud to announce that acclaimed band Cold Weather Company will be doing an audio-visual concert on Friday, October 10 at 7PM. Lastly, we will be offering three FREE Filmmaking Workshops! The in-person screenings and the Cold Weather Company concert will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 1PM, 5PM or 7PM on their show date. General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$120; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program. The Filmmaking Workshops are FREE and open to the public but have limited seating and require advance registration. To register email us at [email protected]
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