In desperation brought on by near-starvation, Helge Roos kills his master’s ox and feeds it to his wife and baby daughter. No-one suspects anything until the meat is finished and Helge tries to sell the hide at a local market. He is spotted by the local vicar and, wracked with guilt, confesses. The vicar assures him that if he gives himself up, he’ll be treated leniently, but Helge’s sentence is far harsher than anyone predicted…
Director: Sven Nykvist.
Stars: Stellan Skarsgård, Ewa Fröling, Lennart Hjulström, Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann.
1992 Academy Awards – Nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
awesome!
After 4 Jan Troell achievements in a row it is a nice change of pace to watch another great one with Sydow, which does not run well over 2 hours, but handles its story in just 90 minutes. 🙂 (no harm meant, I love Troells work!).
Pretty solid movie about the hard lives people had in Sweden in the 19th century and insofar story-wise a forerunner to Troells 2 emmigrant-epics. Great cast turning in great performances, solid direction by stellar DP Nykvist, I highly recommend this Oscar contender. 9/10.