In Malmö, teacher Sören Mårtensson (Per Oscarsson) is struggling in the classroom and at home, failing to gain the respect and confidence that he needs. Jan Troell’s second film was inspired by his previous career as a teacher, working at the school where the movie was shot. It has a natural style; certain choices in editing and cinematography starkly capture the anxiety and nightmares that are torturing the teacher. A very good leading performance in a film that illustrates one person’s torments and not the general state of the education system, even if it comes close to that ambition.
1968-Sweden. 110 min. B/W. Directed, photographed and edited by Jan Troell. Screenplay: Bengt Forslund, Jan Troell, Claes Engström. Cast: Per Oscarsson (Sören Mårtensson), Ann-Marie Gyllenspetz (Ann-Marie), Kerstin Tidelius (Gunvor Mårtensson), Bengt Ekerot, Harriet Forssell, Per Sjöstrand.
Trivia: Original title: Ole dole doff. Georg Oddner, photographer and a close friend of Troell’s, appears as a photographer called Georg; in 2003, the director made a documentary about Oddner called Presence.
Berlin: Golden Bear.
