Confessions of a Swedish Man
In 2019, a Swedish single father and self-proclaimed feminist travels to an anti- feminist men’s retreat in Denmark. He asks himself why such gatherings are needed as he tries to understand the anger and discovers loneliness and longing. Being so close, with so many men, is unfamiliar to him and a simple question evolves into a personal crisis. He questions his identity, how to raise his son, and the relationship to his own father. A 6-year journey down the rabbit hole of the so-called “manosphere” has begun and it leads him to a fundamental reflection:
what happens to a man— a human being—when their belief about themself is challenged at the core?
In 2018, Swedish filmmaker Hampus Linder premiered the documentary The Feminist - a Swedish Inspiration where he found out what a man should NOT be and do, yet lacked tools for what a man could be. In Confessions… he approaches everyone he meets with an attitude of really listening, not judging, and combines structural thoughts with individual experiences
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Hampus LinderDirectorThe Feminist, Hip Hop for Gaza, The Art of Being Human
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Hampus LinderWriterThe Feminist, Hip Hop for Gaza, The Art of Being Human
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Helene GranqvistProducerThe Feminist, Granny´s Dancing on the Table, Nasty Old People
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Rikke Tambo AndersenProducer
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Gary CrannerProducer
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Wade ChannellProducer
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Hampus LinderKey Cast"Hampus "
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Project Type:Documentary
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Runtime:1 hour 34 minutes
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Completion Date:October 15, 2025
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Production Budget:370,000 EUR
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Country of Origin:Sweden
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Country of Filming:Denmark, Sweden
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Language:English, Swedish
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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DocPoint HelsinkiHelsinki
Finland
February 4, 2026
International -
DocPoint TallinnTallinn
Finland
February 6, 2026
International premiere -
Stockfish International FilmfestivalReykjavik
Iceland
March 27, 2026
Icelandic premiere -
HUMAN International Documentary FilmfestivalOslo
Norway
March 10, 2026
Norwegian premiere -
MIllenium Docs Against GravityWarszawa, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań, Katowice, Bydgoszcz, Łódź
Poland
March 16, 2026
Polish premiere
Distribution Information
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Nordic Factory FilmSales AgentCountry: WorldwideRights: All Rights
Since beginning his career in 2002, Hampus Linder has made 9
documentaries. Confessions of a Swedish Man is his second feature length film. His previous one The Feminist premiered at DOC NYC in 2018 and was distributed theatrically in the Nordic countries and in the USA.
During the 5-year long work on my latest film The Feminist, about Swedish feminist icon Gudrun Schyman, I had my first thoughts about examining the male role appeared. I sympathized with many parts of the feminist framing of the common challenges facing men. The development of the male role seems to move much slower compared to the female role, where women in Sweden have conquered arenas that were completely closed a generation ago. Some men perceive this as a threat, others welcome it, but most find difficulty in adapting to new roles as
men in a more equal Sweden. For instance women who are financially superior to their male partners are at greater risk of domestic violence, according to research. I can easily name a number of parts of the male role that are problematic, diminishing and destructive, both for a man and his surroundings. But when asked to define what a healthy male role should contain, it becomes embarrassing, I am afraid to say the wrong things and I get insecure. It’s often through irony, exaggerations and stereotypes that I approach what masculinity is. There is
always someone else who is “worse” than myself. The emotionally crippled man, the criminal who personifies violence or the absent father. It's safest that way, I don't have to problematize myself. It's as if we as men know that we play a role, we hide, both from ourselves and those around us. We want to showcase a strong, confident, potent and competent man. Even when we don't feel like that. Why do we do it and for whom?
