Four More Years is the lighthearted and charming story of a forty-something Swedish politician named David, the leader of a political party, whose wife Fia is his chief aide and adviser.
In the aftermath of a disastrous election, which instead of making him Prime Minister as expected loses his party almost all its influence in parliament, David falls in love with Martin, a younger, openly gay leader of the opposition party that trounced David's in the election. (The movie was directed by the actress who plays Fia.) There follows an Adam's Rib sort of dilemma, with lovers on opposite sides of a professional matter of great importance to both - in addition to David's anxiety over coming out as gay.
Americans will have a hard time believing politicians of opposing parties ANYWHERE can treat each other with unfailing mild-mannered courtesy, but it may well be true that Swedish politicians actually are civilized human beings, unlike the snarling savages who dominate American politics.
And gay American men may not recognize the intensity of the passion between David and Martin. I think the two guys are very sexy, both individually and together, but viewers conditioned by the hairless twenty-something gym bunnies and feral copulation that distinguish American gay movies will find these two men unattractive.
Anybody looking for fireworks - either political or sexual - will be disappointed in this movie; but as a look at how civilized, mature (but not old) gay men with serious interests outside of themselves might behave, Four More Years is a revelation and a welcome breath of fresh air in the world of gay movies.
All the performances are good, the dialog is intelligent, the story is not as predictable as it could be, and there are some very entertaining supporting characters - particularly David's mother and Martin's father. I enjoyed the movie enough to watch it again right now.
