Synopsis
Olof lives alone on his family's farm after the death of his mother. Unable to read and write, he is dependent on his younger friend, Erik, who helps him in the afternoons. Once a sailor, Erik brags of having known hundreds of women. Out of the blue, Olof advertises in the local paper for a young lady housekeeper, and Ellen, a middle-class city woman, arrives to take over the house and, as the summer goes on, Olof's heart and Erik's desire as well.
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Cast
- Rolf LassgårdOlof
- Helena BergströmEllen Lind
- Johan WiderbergErik Jonsson
- Gunilla RöörNewspaper Receptionist
- Jonas FalkPreacher
- Linda UlvaeusLena
- Bergljót ArnadóttirShop assistant
- Per SandbergUndertaker
- Rikard WolffNarrator (voice)
Recommendations
- 88
Chicago Sun-Times
Movies like this are not for everyone, but arrive like private messages for their own particular audiences. - 80
Washington Post
Simple, earnest and workmanlike, it sings of Olof, glad and big, and how he lost his -- well, we can't say what he lost. - 75
Chicago Tribune
Swedish cinema has been famous for a number of things: beautiful actresses, fine sexy psychological dramas, natural settings, cinematic bawdiness and a touch of melancholy. Under the Sun fits that profile well. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
A charming, finely nuanced romance. - 75
Miami Herald
Under the Sun doesn't intend to be dramatic, much less melodramatic. This beautiful film just wants to capture life's simplicity. - 70
New Times (L.A.)
Gentle and gorgeous, honoring atmosphere over attitude. - 50
Austin Chronicle
The performances are likable and there's nothing really wrong with the story -- other than the fact that Nutley hardly has any story to tell. - 50
Village Voice
The kind of quotidian pastoral -- about a simple, honest peasant who finds the greatest love of all -- that the Academy invariably finds irresistible.
