Koko-di Koko-da

Koko-di Koko-da
Film poster
Directed by	Johannes Nyholm
Written by	Johannes Nyholm
Produced by	Johannes Nyholm
Starring	Leif Edlund
Cinematography	Tobias Höiem-Flyckt Johan Lundborg
Edited by	Johannes Nyholm
Music by	Olof Cornéer Simon Ohlsson
Production companies	Beofilm Film i Väst
Distributed by	Smorgasbord Picture House Dark Star Pictures
Release date	25 January 2019 (2019-01-25) (Sundance)
Running time	89 minutes
Countries	Sweden Denmark
Languages	Swedish Danish

Johannes Nyholm (right) presenting 'Koko-di Koko-da' at Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema 2019.

Koko-di Koko-da is a 2019 internationally co-produced surrealist^[1] dark fantasy psychological horror film^[2] directed, produced and written by Johannes Nyholm. The film tells the story of a struggling couple on a camping trip in the woods to save their marriage, after the tragic death of their daughter on her eighth birthday during a vacation in Denmark three years prior, who find themselves in a time loop of agonizing torture, humiliating slapstick, and surreal dreams at the hands of a band of antagonistic nursery rhyme characters depicted on a music box, which they had purchased for their daughter as a birthday gift prior to her death and birthday. The two have to find a way to heal their broken marriage, overcome their grief, and escape the macabre time loop of torture and murder.

Plot[]

Swedish couple Tobias and Elin dote on their only daughter, Maja. However, during their vacation to Skagen, Denmark for Maja's eighth birthday, Elin is sent to the hospital due to an allergic reaction to shellfish from her mussel pizza at lunch. This is followed by the sudden death of Maja in her sleep on her birthday. Stricken with grief, Tobias and Elin's marriage begins to deteriorate as a result.

Three years later in Sweden, Tobias and Elin go on a camping trip for vacation. Their trip in the woods suddenly transforms into a dark, twisted nightmare as the couple are stalked and preyed upon by a trio of antagonistic nursery rhyme characters and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, led by a sadistic elderly gentleman in a boater hat and white suit named Mog. These figures are connected to a music box given to their late daughter as a birthday present. They find themselves stuck in a time loop in which they are repeatedly preyed on by these characters.

While stuck in the loop, a shadow play is performed centering on a family of rabbits who lost their only child and try to overcome their grief.

Cast[]

• as Tobias
• as Elin
• as Maja
• Peter Belli as Mog
• as Sampo
• as Cherry

Release[]

Koko-di Koko-da was screened in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.^[3]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Koko-di Koko-da holds an approval rating of 80%, based on 61 reviews, and an average rating of 6.2/10. Its consensus reads, "Using an effectively creepy setting and a beguilingly evasive approach, Koko-Di Koko-Da takes a chilling look at the long tail of grief."^[4]

References[]

External links[]

• Koko-di Koko-da at IMDb
• Koko-di Koko-da at Rotten Tomatoes