Based on the novel; Ondskan; by Swedish author Jan Guillou; Evil questions the very definition of the term by telling the story of Erik Ponti (Andreas Wilson); a high-schooler who confronts his violent past in order to overcome it. Directed by Mikael H?fstr?m (Derailed); the film opens with Erik being expelled from high school for fighting; then being transferred to the militaristic academy; Stj?rnsberg; as his last chance for graduation. Having been raised by a weak mother and an abusive stepfather; Erik's worldview is skewed by a sensitivity to injustice; so that when upper-classmen bully him and his best friend; Pierre Tanguy (Henrik Lundstr?m); Erik is plagued by his desire to handle situations violently. Once Pierre teaches Erik about Gandhi; Erik quickly grasps the non-violent idea of mind over matter since he was forced to transcend physical pain as an abused child. However; when Erik does get his revenge on both his father and his schoolmates; his violence is justified. Evil sophisticatedly examines violence from the perspectives of its perpetrators and victims; showing how violence breeds violence. In learning how self-loathing begets violent behavior; protagonist Erik Ponti does much more than become a better person in the film. He becomes a living example of how an "evil" person can be multi-faceted; thus complicating an oversimplified concept of good versus evil. --Trinie Dalton