You can't say the film isn't upfront - the opening credits say this is the real life tale of a couple who kill themselves while on holiday in Denmark. We cut to said couple canoodling in the fields - we never see the couple fall in love, or how they met, bang we're straight in there. This does however set us up very effectively for the rest of the movie, which mostly consists of the couple canoodling before they decide to kill themselves.
That's not all, of course - they argue, make up, make love, he's visited by a colleague from the army, she runs into some old musician friends, she tries some poisoned strawberries, they try to make money (not very hard, it should be said - ever heard of labouring work?)
The photography and locations are beautiful, Pia Degermark is beautiful in the title role (in real life she was a tight-rope walker and good on her, Pia has a go at doing that too in one scene). Thommy Berggren gives a strong performance as the tormented soldier.
It could have done with more story - seeing his wife and kids maybe, or how they met. Still, that's the vision the filmmakers had, and it does work. It probably glamoroises murder-suicide. The final freeze frame shot may have inspired the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
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