B est known for directing the Oscar-nominated Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alfredson sought a new challenge with Bara knyt, Alfons! by almost single-handedly producing an adaptation of the famous Swedish children’s book character Alfons Åberg (Alfie Atkins). Created by the late author Gunilla Bergström in the 1970s and adored by fans, the fictional character has since become symbolic in Scandinavian children’s literature. “I am too old to have read these stories as a child, but I have three children who’ve all grown up with these stories.