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'Everlasting Moments' long on depth

Film plants viewer firmly in turn of the 20th century.

Published online on Thursday, Jul. 09, 2009

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Swedish director Jan Troell's "Everlasting Moments" is at once tremendous and banal, and I mean that as a high compliment. It's the kind of film that seeps into you slowly, and with reserve, rather than skipping right up and saying hello.

It manages this feat by depicting both the grand sweep of an era and the minuscule, almost arcane -- it's practically glacial -- life details of a working-class Swedish family at the turn of the 20th century. The great accomplishment of the film -- the perfect balancing act, if you will -- is that neither of these seemingly opposing themes crowd out the other. Instead, they happily co-exist in the kind of cinematic experience that can be all encompassing, if you let it.

As a monthly offering of Fresno Filmworks, it plays Friday only at The Tower Theatre.

Based on a real-life story, "Everlasting Moments" weaves the tale of Maria Larsson (a riveting and profound Maria Heiskanen), a Finnish immigrant married to a Swede, the strong and boisterous Sigfrid (a colorful Mikael Persbrandt). She is faced with two simultaneous and overwhelming challenges: caring for her four children in a time of poverty and unrest; and keeping tabs on her husband, who likes to get raging drunk and chase women all over town.

Maria is hard-headed and fierce, even grim, when it comes to protecting her children and trying to build a better life. But there's a side to her that is whimsical and wry. Every so often her hardened expression gives way to lightness and frivolity, and it's a joy to watch.

We learn about this side of her when she stumbles into a hidden passion for photography. Curious about a camera that she won in a contest before her marriage, she takes it to a local photo studio. The owner of the studio (Jesper Christensen) is enamored of her and encourages her to practice taking pictures. It turns out she has a knack.

Part of what makes the film so pungent -- and encompassing -- is the way that Troell saturates the audience in the era. From the harsh details of everyday life to oblique references to class struggle, this is no spiffy, upper-crust costume drama. Spousal abuse rears its ugly head. A muted color palette, heavy on browns and earth tones, suggests the sepia effect of an old photo.

The film is not bleak, however. Themes of female empowerment strongly resonate. Maria learns that her own creative impulses can't be ignored, even in the context of raising a large family. At the same time, there is a sense of nuance at work here. Choices are made in life, and to the outsider, they aren't always rational.

The result is a gently intriguing film that whispers of the complexities of life. "Everlasting Moments" won't satisfy an audience looking for summer blockbuster fare. But within its subtle borders you'll find an amazing world all its own.