Die Menschheit hat den Verstand verloren

“Astrid Lindgren – Humanity Has Lost Its Mind” tells the story of a young, still unknown woman in Stockholm who is in despair over the state of the world. On September 1, 1939 — the day Hitler’s army invaded Poland — she begins to keep a war diary. Gradually, through dialogue with herself, she discovers the healing power of writing. When the Second World War ends with the human catastrophe of the Holocaust, with countless millions dead and Europe in ruins, her first book about the rebellious Pippi Longstocking is published.

Now, drawing on these war diaries from 1939-1945, Astrid Lindgren's daughter Karin, granddaughter Annika, and great-grandson Johan tell the true story behind the success of the world-renowned author. While reading and in conversation, her kin also learn of painful secrets in their famous ancestor's life.

Published in 2015 and translated into over twenty languages, Astrid Lindgren's wartime diaries remained unfound in her bedroom closet for 70 years. They're a unique document describing the horrors of dictatorship and terror from the perspective of a wife and mother who passionately appeals for humanity, peace and equality.

Much of the story is told by Astrid Lindgren herself in the film, through her voice in the diaries. Karin Nyman had long hesitated to publish them. Yet surely, after so much time, her mother would have had no objection to having her secrets revealed. “Her courage to forgive and her unwavering determination to make the world a better place through imagination,” says her daughter Karin, “were ahead of their time — and still are.”