Another young lovers tale from Bergman, although you can feel him pushing himself - it's grittier, tougher (this was influenced by neo-realism), and begins with a young woman trying to kill herself in the water. The story has her fall in love with a sailor who is shocked when he finds out about her past, and we wonder if he can forgive her.
This is really a story of the girl rather than her romance - I mean, the romance is the spine, but it's more a character study. We find out abut the girl's abusive father, manipulative and cold mother, mean bosses, tough upbringing (including a stint in juvey), sympathetic social worker.s We never find out that much about him, and it isn't nearly as interesting.
Nine Christine Jonsson, who plays the girl, is excellent and easily outshines the guy. Of course the fact she has a better part helps a lot but I don't think that explains everything. It's melodrama but well done, with the bonus of some terrific location shooting. It's very frank, too - there's an abortion and some nudity.
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