A Hustler’s Diary

A real culture clash occurs when the poor suburb Jordbro, right outside of Stockholm, crashes with the culture elite of Södermalm. Ivica Zabak’s second feature film tells the story of Metin, a criminal by day who writes about his everyday life at night. Metin’s diary falls into the hands of the actress Lena after he has attended a failed audition for drama school. Impressed, she immediately forwards the book to a the publisher Puma. Along Metin we are absorbed into a world overjoyed to have found the new exotic new voice Swedish literature desperately needs.

A Hustler’s Diary provides insight into what it means to live in these underprivileged neighborhoods of contemporary Sweden, but also works as a straightforward dramedy about friendship and family. Zubak digs even deeper by exploring the cultural elite’s fascination with young, gifted humans from poor suburbs that not necessarily know they are potential goldmines. In doing so, the film exposes and makes fun of prejudices in the Swedish society in a clever, provocative and entertaining way.

Ivica Zubak (b. 1978) is an Croatian-Swedish actor, director and screenwriter who has made several shot films. Han made his feature film debute with Knäcka (2009), and four years later he made 10 Guds siffror (2013). These films, like his latest feature film A Hustler’s Diary, tells the story of how it's like to be an immigrant in today's Sweden.