Famous Swedish duo Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson, more commonly known as Filip och Fredrik, are both writers, television hosts, and journalists, both known for their youthful, though intellectual, humour, and unconventional journalism. In 2024, they filmed a documentary focusing on Filip’s aging father titled The Last Journey, and it has won various awards and nominations, with a few more yet to be determined at upcoming awards shows. The Last Journey was already released almost a year ago, but has since made its journey and is now showing in cinemas worldwide.

Lars Hammar was a well-respected French teacher in Köping, Sweden, who retired after 40 incredible years. Since his retirement, he went from being joyful, uplifting and full of life to passive, apathetic and counting down the remaining days of his life, to the dismay of his family. Refusing to believe his best years are behind him, his son, Filip Hammar, wants to reignite the spark in his father’s life. Along with his best friend, Fredrik Wikingsson, he purchases an old car, and they take Lars on a road trip to France to relive many of the best memories of his life and how much he meant to people.

When this documentary begins, audiences will know they’ll be in for an emotional rollercoaster. Filip Hammar’s latest project is deeply personal for him, whose father, Lars, was a beloved French teacher before his retirement but hasn’t been as passionate about anything since those days. The film follows their long journey driving from their native Sweden to Lars’s favourite getaway, France, and all the other countries in between. Unfortunately, Lars’ deteriorating health also complicates matters, having to be admitted to the hospital and pausing their trip. Despite this and other hurdles, they continue their trek to France.

During their adventure, the film also shows home video footage highlighting some of their favourite memories and how full of life he was back then. Along their journey, they stop at various locations special to Lars, with Filip and Fredrik even trying to recreate some memories to remind him of happier times. They even meet familiar faces from their past and catch up on old times. Even though this isn’t a fictional movie, it does an amazing job of showing Lars’ character development as he slowly finds his smile again, and that smile gets bigger and bigger as the film progresses.

The way this documentary was shot makes it feel more like an actual movie than just someone with a video camera vlogging their road trip, even though no actual acting is involved. With everyone just being their authentic selves, it allows audiences to feel more connected to the people they see onscreen, being able to relate to their stories, struggles, highs, and lows. The music has something for every occasion, but even scenes without music help convey the emotion they’re experiencing.

Anyone who has had similar experiences will feel the raw emotions of the cast as their story unfolds. The film is incredibly moving and will hit you right in the feels. Seeing Lars get that spark back in his eye and regain his smile, no matter how subtle it is, are some of the best moments in the film. The film’s main focus is on Lars, but it also highlights the people who were close to or whose lives were touched by Lars due to his passion, optimism, and kindness.

The other most important person in the film is Lars’ son, Filip, who was the driving force behind this documentary. He refused to see his father waste away and dedicated his time and resources to giving his father some of the best years of his life and reminding him how important he was to everyone. Audiences will see Filip constantly observing his father’s mood and how he reacts to certain events or reliving old memories. Seeing Filip getting emotional after all of his hard work to make his father happy once again will undoubtedly bring a tear to anyone’s eye.

As of this writing, Lars Hammar is still alive and well at just 82 years young, and so is his wife, Tina, whom he has been married to since 1971. When he didn’t believe there was much worth

living for, his son took it upon himself to change all that and help him remember everything he lived for. They went on a hell of a journey together, and now he has an entire movie dedicated to him full of their journey to France, home videos, catching up with old friends, and interviews of people he had an impact on that he can relive over and over again.

The Last Journey is a perfect example of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quote, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”. It’s a documentary shot so beautifully that it can make anyone feel the same emotion as the cast. It is proof that you are never too old to have fun and get the most out of life, no matter how much of it is left. Even if this was indeed Lars Hammar’s Last Journey, it will never be forgotten anytime soon.

Written by: Sammy Hanson