Superpowers on the job
Superheroes, whether from Marvel, Disney or DC Comics, usually all have a job as well. Clark Kent (Superman) is a reporter, Peter Parker (Spider-Man) is a photographer, Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) is a nurse/archeologist and Bruce Wayne (Batman) is a business tycoon, part-time or as his main job, however you want to look at it. But, the unwritten laws of maintaining superhero parallel universes forbid them from using their powers where they are gainfully employed, leaving us wanting.
The very idea that someone equipped with superpowers going to the job-centre or attending a job interview poses interesting challenges for employment agencies and HR departments alike. What would the world of work look like if a few colleagues had superhuman abilities as part of their skillset? How would they fare in their jobs?
For all their other ingenuity, US comics and US blockbusters are unusually lacking and consistently averse to developing these questions. It is all the more striking when such a circumstance is staged at all. This is the case, for example, in the Swedish fantasy love drama “Border” (2018) by Ali Abbasi.
The main character of the film, Tina (Eva Melander, great acting in surreal prosthetics), works at customs and checks through ferry passengers entering Sweden. She has an uncannily good nose for people who are afraid, feel shame or guilt. She spots them out immediately, mostly confiscating excess alcohol. But on one occasion she sniffs out the owner of a memory card containing child pornography. With her special gift, she tips off the police investigating cases of abuse. The fact that Tina is a very, very special outsider is obvious from the beginning because of her unusual appearance. Later on, one discovers (spoiler alert) that she is indeed a troll and male, fully rendering his character: Queer humanoid customs officer with superpowers.
The Swedes sent the film into the race for the Oscar for “Best Foreign Language Film” and it was nominated as Best Film for the European Film Awards. In my opinion, Border is the best Swedish film since 2008’s “Let the Right One in”, which was showered with awards. Both films were written by the Swedish writer John Erik Ajvide Lindqvist and therefore have a lot in common. They portray outsiders, combine elements of fantasy and horror with social realism, thus broadening our horizons.
The idea of the superhuman migrates into the everyday in his stories and makes us rethink otherness. In the case of “So Dark the Night”, for example, it is a depiction of the loneliness and the daily struggles of a 12-year-old girl in a Stockholm council estate, who is in fact a vampire with blood in her fridge.
Both films question gender identities in delightfully surprising and clever ways. However, “Border” embraces the question of the meaning and consequences of alterity in the professional and working world.
Border (Trailer), Ali Abbasi, 2008
Border, 2018, Filmstill
© metafilm
Border, 2018, Filmstill
© metafilm
Eva Melande in Border, 2018, Filmstill
© metafilm
Superpowers on the job
Superheroes, whether from Marvel, Disney or DC Comics, usually all have a job as well. Clark Kent (Superman) is a reporter, Peter Parker (Spider-Man) is a photographer, Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) is a nurse/archeologist and Bruce Wayne (Batman) is a business tycoon, part-time or as his main job, however you want to look at it. But, the unwritten laws of maintaining superhero parallel universes forbid them from using their powers where they are gainfully employed, leaving us wanting.
The very idea that someone equipped with superpowers going to the job-centre or attending a job interview poses interesting challenges for employment agencies and HR departments alike. What would the world of work look like if a few colleagues had superhuman abilities as part of their skillset? How would they fare in their jobs?
For all their other ingenuity, US comics and US blockbusters are unusually lacking and consistently averse to developing these questions. It is all the more striking when such a circumstance is staged at all. This is the case, for example, in the Swedish fantasy love drama “Border” (2018) by Ali Abbasi.
The main character of the film, Tina (Eva Melander, great acting in surreal prosthetics), works at customs and checks through ferry passengers entering Sweden. She has an uncannily good nose for people who are afraid, feel shame or guilt. She spots them out immediately, mostly confiscating excess alcohol. But on one occasion she sniffs out the owner of a memory card containing child pornography. With her special gift, she tips off the police investigating cases of abuse. The fact that Tina is a very, very special outsider is obvious from the beginning because of her unusual appearance. Later on, one discovers (spoiler alert) that she is indeed a troll and male, fully rendering his character: Queer humanoid customs officer with superpowers.
The Swedes sent the film into the race for the Oscar for “Best Foreign Language Film” and it was nominated as Best Film for the European Film Awards. In my opinion, Border is the best Swedish film since 2008’s “Let the Right One in”, which was showered with awards. Both films were written by the Swedish writer John Erik Ajvide Lindqvist and therefore have a lot in common. They portray outsiders, combine elements of fantasy and horror with social realism, thus broadening our horizons.
The idea of the superhuman migrates into the everyday in his stories and makes us rethink otherness. In the case of “So Dark the Night”, for example, it is a depiction of the loneliness and the daily struggles of a 12-year-old girl in a Stockholm council estate, who is in fact a vampire with blood in her fridge.
Both films question gender identities in delightfully surprising and clever ways. However, “Border” embraces the question of the meaning and consequences of alterity in the professional and working world.
Border (Trailer), Ali Abbasi, 2008
Border, 2018, Filmstill
© metafilm
Border, 2018, Filmstill
© metafilm
Eva Melande in Border, 2018, Filmstill
© metafilm
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About this blog
By selecting a film or an image, this blog literally illustrates the vast sphere of work, employment & education in an open collection of academic, artistic and also anecdotal findings.
About us
Konrad Wakolbinger makes documentary films about work and life. Jörg Markowitsch does research on education and work. They are both based in Vienna. Information on guest authors can be found in their corresponding articles.
More about
Interested in more? Find recommendations on relevant festivals, film collections and literature here.
About this blog
With picking a film or an image, this blog literally illustrates the vast sphere of work, employment & education in an open collection of academic, artistic and also anecdotal findings.
About us
Konrad Wakolbinger makes documentary films about work and life. Jörg Markowitsch does research on education and work. We both work in Vienna. Information on guest authors can be found in their respective articles.
More about
Interested in more? Find recommendations on relevant festivals, film collections and literature here.