Land of Dreams is a 1988 Swedish essay film by Jan Troell. Its original Swedish title is Sagolandet, which means "The land of tales". Through a series of reportages from contemporary Sweden, Troell uses the film to ponder on the country's transformation since his childhood, into a society he argues has become permeated by rationality at the expense of creativity. Interweaved with the reportages are conversations with the American existential psychologist

Existential therapy

Existential psychotherapy is a philosophical method of therapy that operates on the belief that inner conflict within a person is due to that individual's confrontation with the givens of existence. These givens, as noted by Irvin D...

 Rollo May

Rollo May

Rollo May was an American existential psychologist. He authored the influential book Love and Will during 1969. He is often associated with both humanistic psychology and existentialist philosophy. May was a close friend of the theologian Paul Tillich...

, the politician Ingvar Carlsson

Ingvar Carlsson

Gösta Ingvar Carlsson is a Swedish politician, Prime Minister of Sweden and leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party ....

 soon before he became the prime minister of Sweden, and former prime minister Tage Erlander

Tage Erlander

was a Swedish politician. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Sweden from 1946 to 1969...

. Filming took place from 1983 to 1986.

Release

The film premiered in Sweden on 8 February 1988, distributed by the Swedish Film Institute

Swedish Film Institute

The Swedish Film Institute was founded in 1963 to support and develop the Swedish film industry. The institute is housed in the Filmhuset building located in Gärdet, Östermalm in Stockholm...

. It was screened in the Forum section of the 38th Berlin International Film Festival

38th Berlin International Film Festival

The 38th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 12 to 23, 1988.-Jury:* Guglielmo Biraghi * Ellen Burstyn* Heiner Carow* Eberhard Junkersdorf* Tom Luddy* Heinz Rathsack* Daniel Schmid* Andrei Smirnov...

. It won the Swedish Film Critics Award for best domestic film of 1988.