For Her Sake Review: Loud Forks and Very Dramatic Hats

You should probably watch this if you are a nerd for how sound changed movies. If you hate slow, black-and-white plays caught on camera, stay away.

It is about Sigurd and Maya. They work in theater and they are really bad with money.

Sigurd is played by Gösta Ekman. He has this way of looking at the camera that makes you feel like he is actually worried about his rent.

The sound is the funniest part. Sometimes a door slams and it sounds like a literal gunshot.

Other times, they whisper and you can not hear a thing. It is the first Swedish talkie, so they were basically guessing where to put the mics. 🎤

I kept thinking about The City of Beautiful Nonsense while watching this. Both have that 'poor but happy' vibe that never stays happy for long.

There is a scene where they are eating and the clinking of the forks is so loud. It almost drowns out the actual talking.

It is not a masterpiece. But it feels alive in a way modern movies do not always manage.

Maya (Inga Tidblad) is the real heart here. She looks totally exhausted, which I get because Sigurd is alot of work.

The plot gets a bit messy toward the end. It feels like they forgot they were making a movie and just kept filming a play. 🎭

If you liked Yearning for Love, you will recognize the heavy sighs. People in 1930 sighed alot.

The theater sets look like they are made of cardboard. I think one of them actually wobbles when a character walks past it during a tense moment.

It is a bit like A Wonderful Night but with more stress about unpaid bills. It feels very claustrophobic because they barely leave the rooms.

I liked the hats. Everyone had such aggressive hats back then.

Anyway, it is short enough that you wont feel robbed of your time. Just do not expect a fast pace or anything like a modern rom-com.

• The way Gösta Ekman touches his hair when he is nervous.
• That one extra in the background who looks like he is staring into the sun.
• The weirdly long pause after someone asks a question.
• The wallpaper is actually kind of hideous if you look closely.

It is an okay movie for a rainy Tuesday. Just okay, but seeing the start of Swedish sound cinema is pretty cool.