Synopsis

Drama based on a true story and set in Sweden in the early 1900s, a time of social change and unrest, of war and poverty. Maria is a young working class woman who wins a camera in a lottery and decides to keep it, which changes her life. The camera lets her see the world anew, but becomes a threat to her alcoholic womaniser of a husband, as it brings charming photographer Sebastian 'Piff Paff Puff' Pederson into her life. By day, the life of Maria and her family is weighed down by the problem of acquiring food, but at night, while Sigfrid is sleeping off his drunkenness and the children are in bed, Maria develops her pictures in the kitchen. Her photography and her relationship to Piff Paff Puff disclose a possible path to freedom and independence. Dir: Jan Troell. (In Swedish with English subtitles), In a series of remarkable events inspired by a true story, Maria Heiskanen stars as Maria Larsson, a Finnish mother and housewife who devotes all of her attention, care, and consideration to the well-being of her family -- but, like many homemakers, does so at the expense of her own identity and self-awareness. Not that her dockworker husband, Sigge (Mikael Persbrandt), particularly deserves such consideration; a brutish, alcoholic lout, his evenings consist of making life hell for Maria and their daughter with tyrannical, abusive behavior. Then, as the dockworkers go on strike and the family's economic situation plummets, a ray of hope appears, in the form of a Contessa camera won in a local lottery. Unsurprisingly, Maria at first attempts to pawn it to reel in extra monies, but store owner Sebastian Pedersen convinces her otherwise; he teaches her how to use it, and she begins taking gorgeous, haunting photographs with the unaffected, instinctive perceptions of a young child. As the woman's self-discovery builds and her identity takes on form and definition, Sebastian unofficially takes her on as a protégée and quietly witnesses romantic feelings for her building inside of him. Meanwhile, Sigge's life falls to pieces when the authorities connect him with the catastrophic explosion of a British vessel. Maria's daughter, Maja (Callin Öhrvall), narrates.

Everlasting Moments

Synopsis

Cast

Director

Producer

Topics

🧬 More Like This (Similar DNA)

Abe

Mother of a Day

The Song of Names

The Argument

LATEST ARTICLES

Hello world!

Hello world!