First-time director Jimmy Johansson’s movie about a 23-year old shiftless and unemployed Brunkaby town-y is reminiscent of Richard Linklater’s early work “Slacker”. “Arkusan Martinsson” is the story of repressed and wandering youth. His titular character really has nothing better to do than wander around his hometown talking with his friends and showing us the boring daily grind that he puts himself through.

Cinematically it looks very similar to Linklater’s “Slacker”. It has a raw look about it that seems part documentary, and part masturbatory fantasy (and I mean that literally in this movie’s case). The movie breaks many conventions by toning down the color of the movie purposely to give it a grayish pallor, and it breaks the fourth wall during a daydream sequence. It plays more like an experimental film rather than a linear narrative, although that’s just what it is. It takes place all within the span of one day in the life of this character, Arkusan. We are also meant to take away from this movie that this day really holds no special significance in this character’s life. It is just a day like any other.

The characters themselves don’t seem like breakout stars, but more like cookie-cutter people that just showed up to the set. Now as harsh as that sounds, I think that is pretty much how those characters should have been played. It’s as if the director’s friends were just put in the movie. But isn’t that pretty much how most friends are? They’re just there. That is how the Arkusan’s friends are, just there.

The cinematography is a little amateur, but given the low-budget aspect of this movie some of the look can be forgiven. The story overall is what sells this foreign (to us anyways) movie. “Arkusan Martinsson” is a great first attempt from director Jimmy Johansson who took what he had to work with and threw it up on the screen. Very Warhol-like, and is the definition of indie filmmaking.