Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002) became famous for her children’s books, particularly the Pippi Longstocking series, but while Pernille Fischer Christensen’s biographical film begins and ends with a framing device showing the writer answering letters from adoring fans in her old age, the majority of the story is set in Astrid’s youth. The spirited, free-thinking daughter of a farming couple, Astrid is hired as an intern at the local newspaper, where the editor, Blomberg (Henrik Rafaelsen), is enduring an acrimonious separation from his wife. The two have an affair, and Astrid winds up pregnant, which could not only doom the man’s plans for a divorce but also perhaps send him to jail. Astrid decides to go to Stockholm to have the baby and then take him to Denmark, where he will be brought up by a foster mother until Blomberg’s case is settled—after which he can be named as the child’s father, and Astrid and Blomberg can marry. When the plans go awry, Astrid must make sacrifices to support herself and become a single mother to a son who barely knows her. This experience, the film suggests, helps to explain why the writer exhibited such deep empathy for children in her books. Beautifully shot in lovely locations, Becoming Astrid features a nuanced lead performance by Alba August as a young woman who takes on much for love—first of a man, and then (especially) for her child. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Becoming Astrid
Music Box, 123 min., in Swedish w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.99 Volume 34, Issue 3
Becoming Astrid
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