An early and still little-known film by the great Ingmar Bergman, in which a typically Bergman theme is worked out: a man wrestles with moral questions, but follows his physical urges. The story is set in a grey harbour district. The dock-worker Gösta becomes involved with the young woman Berit (Nine-Christine Jönsson), who is depressed and suicidal. She can’t live with her mother any more, so she has spent some time in an institution. She is also thought to have a history in prostitution. Gösta is a man with a very traditional upbringing and a very strict morality. He finds it very difficult to accept Berits background. The film ends with a ‘happy ending’, but in its tone, Bergman makes it clear that the future will not be without problems. (GjZ)
