Swedish House Mafia might be one of the biggest acts in the world you don’t know about. And though they’re going away, the progressive house group are leaving behind one final treat for fans, the documentary “Leave The World Behind.” Director Christian Larson goes behind-the-scenes of the group’s final tour, as they decide to call it quits, at what is arguably the peak of their careers. And for the filmmaker, it was very important to present as a full a picture as possible of what went down.
“I wanted to show the fans the whole story about the band, how they came together, what they experienced together as a group, and how it all came to an end,” Larson told The Playlist over email. “I also wanted to acknowledge how much the fans themselves contributed to the creation of the phenomenon that the band became. And lastly, I wanted it to be a journey around the world to portray the global popularity of the band and the music.”
But of course, being with a band on tour and trying to make a movie on top of that, is no easy feat. “Being on tour is slightly crazy and with a schedule of 50 shows around the world, it was sometimes difficult to find private moments with the guys,” Larson added. “Knowing it’s the last tour also brings pressure to the filming, as I knew there wasn’t going to be another chance! Basically, that meant that we rolled a lot of hours of film. Then in the edit bay, I had the challenge of finding the balance between the successful history of the band and the last months colored by their breakup.”
And the result is a picture that producer Amy Thomson hopes will show a side to Swedish House Mafia not usually seen. “I think the film will show the real side of the boys. They are not public people with how they feel about the business, how it has changed them and how they interact with each other,” she explained. “I think this film is not just for the fans, but it is for anyone interested in this movement or indeed the psychology of any band dealing with such huge success.”
“Leave The World Behind” debuts at the SXSW Film Festival on Wednesday, March 12th. Get a taste of what’s coming with the exclusive clip below.
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