| Plot |
The setting is Bornholm, a small fishing island off the coast of Sweden. In 1982, there was a no-fishing period imposed because of overfishing in the past. The film hones in on the fishing community at this time, and their struggle to adjust from being no-holds-barred fishermen with big incomes and finding new places in society.
Sounds boring? It's not. The film centers on Lars Erik, a fisherman. He is stubborn to the point of being self-destructive. His character has such stupid will power that it has to be seen to be believed. His main victim is his wife, who tries desperately to bring him down to the ground and convince him of the error of his ways. This is hardly easy (as we see in the tent scene during a storm, where Lars Erik's blind pig-headedness is in full show).
Inevitibly, this behaviour leads to tragedy. And it surely is - rarely have I seen such gripping human drama in a film before. Some people may even say that it goes overboard (no pun intended) but I think it works very well, on a real as well as an allegorical level. I won't say any more, just say that at some points the relationship between Lars Erik and his wife smacks of Romeo and Juliet! Not bad, huh? |
|
