Speaking images, race-less words: Play and the absence of race in contemporary Scandinavia

What happens when a film that deals with issues of race and lived multiculture is released in a socio-political landscape where there is limited language to address lived experiences of racialization? This article examines the Swedish fiction film Play (Östlund, 2011) and a TV interview with its director. While mainstream reviews interpreted the film in terms of a non-racial dynamic, we argue that the film is not only about race, but that its racial dynamic is highly gendered. We suggest furthermore that Ruben Östlund’s ambiguous response to the question of the racist legacy of the film points to its failure to confront the prevailing racial hegemony.