Swedish director Jan Troell, directs this true-life-inspired account of Maria Larsson, and how her life is transformed by a Contessa camera. The film, narrated by Maria's daughter Maja, unfolds beautifully in grainy, sepia tones, depicting the joys and tragedies of Swedish life in pre-war, 1900's. In spite of the fact her husband is an abusive, alcoholic laborer, womanizer - Maria stays in the relationship and has seven children with him.
She forms a warm friendship with photographer and shop owner Mr. Pederson, when she visits his shop and attempts to sell a lottery-won camera for money. Instead of purchasing the Contessa, Pederson encourages her to try taking images. "Not everyone is endowed with the gift of seeing" he tells her.
I was very much affected emotionally by this movie and can relate to Maria's evolving passion for photography. In researching this movie, I found a You Tube video about the actual Larsson Family. Despite the fact it's in Swedish, sans subtitles, the gist of this mini-documentary is easy to follow. Here, you can see photos of Maria, her family and many of the images she captured during her lifetime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFS1s26212U
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