Inspite of the title, Evil is not a horror film, although this Fifties era coming-of-age tale does recount the horrors of life at a tradition-bound boarding school. Based on an autobiographical novel by Jan Guillou, the narrative centers on 16-year-old Erik, whose upbringing is tainted by violence and conflict. After years of physical abuse from his father, Erik has become violent himself. When he savagely beats a fellow student, he is expelled from his public school. The principal tells him, "You are evil in its purest form." Erik′s downtrodden mother raises the funds to send him to Stjarnsberg, a prestigious private academy. But Stjarnsberg is hardly a refuge-here evil is systemized in the form of condoned oppression of younger students by the older ones. Can Erik, a natural rebel, revolt against the harassment without breaking the rules and risking expulsion? Can he maintain his dignity without being drawn into the violent spiral that threatens his entire future?Evil is a story about violence and the way through it-but it also chronicles genuine friendship and the beginnings of love.