Co-production Sweden-France-Germany; Svenska Filminstitutet / Sveriges TV1 / Personafilm / Gaumont
GENRE
Drama
SYNOPSIS/PLOT
A widowed actress and her children suffer hardships when she mistakenly marries a conservative church leader.
The story is set in 1907 Uppsala, Sweden and deals with a young boy named Alexander, his sister Fanny, and their well-to-do family the Ekdahls. The siblings' parents are both involved in theater and are happily married until the father's sudden death. Shortly thereafter, the mother, Emilie, finds a new suitor in the local bishop, a handsome widower, and accepts his proposal of marriage, moving into his ascetic home and putting the children under his stern and unforgiving rule. He is particularly hard on Alexander, trying to break his will by every means. The children and their mother live as virtual prisoners in the bishop's house until finally the Ekdahl family intervenes. With help from an old friend, a Jewish antiques dealer, as well as some magic, the children are smuggled out of the house, but the Ekdahls' attempts to bribe or threaten the bishop into divorce fail. Emilie, by now pregnant, slips her husband a sedative and flees as he sleeps, after which a fire breaks out and the bishop is burnt to death. In the meantime, Alexander has met the Jewish merchant's mysterious nephew, Ismael Retzinsky, and fantasized about his stepfather's death – it is as if Alexander's fantasy comes true as he dreams it.
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8.0
(7,995 votes)
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