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Piff! Paff! Puff! Capturing in photos a world choked with anxiety and wonder, mother-of-five Maria (Maria Heiskanen) escapes the clutches of her booze-addled husband by seeking the beauty in early 20th-Century Sweden.
Armed with a state-of-the-art camera, she reveals a landscape changed by industrialisation and plunging headlong into the technological unknown. A Swedish Amelie? Hardly.
Grit and gristle reign as director Jan Troell evokes coal-black despair and brittle, fragile joys, while Heiskanen slam-dunks her portrayal of the introverted and duty-bound Maria.
It didn’t get its moment at the BAFTAs, but this portrait will enjoy long-term glory.
Josh Winning
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
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