Everlasting Moments

Truly a Renaissance man, cinematically speaking, Swedish filmmaker Jan Troell has been making movies since 1962—in the United States as well as in his own country—often writing, editing, and photographing in addition to directing. Although little known outside a relatively small cadre of discriminating cineastes, he's occasionally mentioned in the same breath as Ingmar Bergman. Troell's latest offering, which takes place in Malmö, Sweden, in the early years of the last century, focuses on Maria Larsson (Maria Heiskanen), wife of an abusive, drunken dockworker named Sigfrid (Mikael Persbrandt), and mother of seven children. Overworked and underappreciated, Maria nonetheless manages to achieve some measure of fulfillment as a photographer using a camera she won in a lottery. Her pastime eventually becomes a source of income, not to mention strength, as the dowdy, put-upon Maria sees through her lens a much wider world than she ever dreamed of experiencing. Heiskanen is outstanding in her offbeat leading role, which is based on a relative of Troell's wife, Agneta Ulfsäter-Troell, who wrote a novel about the woman (some of whose photographs appear in the film). And Troell's atmospheric cinematography—complementing the impeccable production design—effortlessly evokes the time and place. Everlasting Moments is deliberately paced but rich in small detail and often profound in its celebration of the artistic spirit. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the documentary “Troell's Magic Mirror” on director Jan Troell's career (61 min.), a “Troell Behind the Camera” 2007 production featurette (28 min.), “The True Story of Maria Larsson” serving up a selection of photographs by Larsson with narration by author Agneta Ulfsäter-Troell (10 min.), and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Armond White. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an excellent film.] (E. Hulse)