Epic, Gorgeous ‘Everlasting Moments’ Lingers Like a Dusty Photograph

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Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Jan Troell’s epic “Everlasting Moments,” a Golden Globe-nominee for Best Foreign Language Film of 2008 and Sweden’s entry in the same category for the Oscars (notoriously making “Let the Right One In” ineligible because of the stupid “one country, one movie” rule), is a haunting, beautiful movie about small, emotional movements set against a backdrop of national change.

The backdrop starts in 1907 Sweden, as political and social revolution fills the air. Maria Larsson (Maria Heiskanen) and Sigge Larsson (Mikael Persbrandt) are what could politely be called a troubled couple. Sigge can be charming and supportive when he’s sober, but that’s rare. He cheats regularly and even abuses his family but he also provides for his children in rough times.

Maria Heiskanen in Everlasting Moments.
Photo credit: IFC Films

One of those children is Maja (Callin Ohrvall), who beautifully narrates “Everlasting Moments,” focusing on the artistic growth of her mother. She starts with a story of a Contessa camera, a prize that Maria wins and that leads to her marrying Sigge.

Years later, Maria finds the camera and takes it to a pawn shop. It’s here that she meets the opposite of Sigge, the artistic, gentle soul to his powerful physical presence, Sebastian Pedersen (Jesper Christensen). Sebastian instantly recognizes that Maria has a photographer’s eye and he encourages her to use it. The two clearly fall for each other, but this is early-century Sweden, so don’t expect your traditional love triangle despite the clear affection.

Mikael Persbrandt in Everlasting Moments. Photo credit: IFC Films

After Sigge is accused of commiting a crime, “Everlasting Moments” jumps forward seven years later. The country is even darker in the shadow of war. Sigge is called up for military service and Maria takes the initiative to use her photography skill sto make money at events. Sebastian joins her for newsreel footage of the coming war. If the first half of the film is set against a background of socialism and strikers, the second is the impending war and development of female rights.

But Troell’s film uses these huge moments in Sweden’s history to tell a personal, beautiful story. As these major movements take place, so do small ones like the growth of Maja into a woman and the artistic creativity of Maria. Drastic changes in the world go on around them, but minor ones play out in the development of the Larssons.

There’s much to love about “Everlasting Moments,” including the fantastic cinematography and incredibly authentic period design, but what really struck me were the performances by Heiskanen and Persbrandt. They’re both fantastic, refusing to play these characters as archetypes. They are completely believable and authentic, giving the film a realistic sheen that often makes the viewer feel like they’re not watching a fictional recreation but one of Sebastian’s pieces of film.

The only flaw I could find with “Everlasting Moments” is in the very end, where the film drags a little bit past the two-hour mark. I love the set-up more than the climax, which feels a little forced for a film that definitely didn’t need a traditional ending. And some of the narration sounds forced. I like the idea that Maria’s story is told through the eyes of her daughter, someone she clearly would impress and influence, but I like the realism of the piece more and the narration sometimes breaks that mood.

“Everlasting Moments” is proof that the family epic can still be powerful. They don’t all have to be Oscar bait or CGI-heavy period pieces. Sometimes just being human is epic enough.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com