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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you have a soft spot for grainy, old-school Swedish cinema where people mostly sit around and talk about their dreams, you’ll probably find this worth your time. It is a very specific mood. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller or something with high stakes, you will definitely hate this and should probably go watch Red Hot Rivals instead.
The movie is set in a southern Swedish city right by the water. You can practically feel the salt air coming off the screen, even if the film quality is a bit fuzzy. It’s mostly about Maud and her friend Viola discussing a novel Maud is writing. She’s trying to win a $50,000 prize from something called 'World Publishing.' That’s an insane amount of money for 1931, by the way. Like, life-changing, buy-a-mansion money.
Maud is played with this sort of nervous energy that I actually found pretty relatable. There is this one scene where she’s looking at her manuscript like it’s a piece of trash she wants to throw away, but also like it’s her only child. I think every writer has had that exact face at 3:00 AM.
The dialogue feels very 'theatrical' because it was 1931 and everyone was still figuring out how talking pictures worked. It’s not as fluid as The Gold Rush, but it has its own rhythm. Sometimes the actors wait a beat too long to respond, and it makes the conversation feel a bit heavy. But in a cozy way? If that makes sense.
The city itself feels like a character. It’s not just a backdrop. You get these shots of the harbor and the streets that make you want to go back in time and just buy a newspaper for a nickel. It’s much more grounded than something like La perle, which is just weird for the sake of being weird.
I noticed that the lighting in Maud’s room is actually really nice. The way the sun hits the table while she’s working... it made me want to go buy a typewriter and fail at writing a novel too.
Erik 'Bullen' Berglund shows up and, as usual, he’s just great to watch. He has one of those faces that feels like a warm blanket. He doesn't have to do much to be the most interesting person in the room. I think the movie gets about 20% better every time he’s on screen.
There’s a lot of talk about the 'Love Night' mentioned in the title. It’s all very sweet and innocent compared to modern stuff. It reminds me a bit of the gentler moments in Trötte Teodor, though maybe not quite as funny.
One thing that bugged me—the sound quality gets a bit rough during the outdoor scenes. The wind or the waves sometimes drown out what Viola is saying. I had to lean in a few times just to catch the drift of the conversation. It adds to the authenticity, I guess, but it’s a bit annoying.
The plot is honestly pretty thin. It’s basically: Will she finish the book? Will she win the money? Will she find love? It doesn’t try to be a 'profound exploration' of anything. It’s just a story about a girl with a goal.
If you like movies like Everybody's Acting, you’ll probably enjoy the social dynamics here. It’s all about who is talking to who and what they think of Maud’s ambitions. Some of the older characters seem really skeptical of a woman writing a big 'World Publishing' book, which feels very of its time.
The ending is... well, it’s an ending. It wraps up a bit too fast. I wanted to see more of the fallout from the competition, but the movie decides it’s finished and just stops. It’s a bit abrupt.
I wouldn’t call this a masterpiece. It’s not going to change your life. But if you’re in the mood for something that feels like a postcard from 1930s Sweden, it’s a nice little trip. It’s got more heart than The Pillory, that's for sure.
Just don't expect any big explosions or plot twists. It’s just Maud, her book, and the sea. And honestly? Sometimes that is enough for a Tuesday night.
IMDb 6.8
1921
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