The actors are uniformly sweet and engaging, and the story plays itself out slowly and calmly. This is a little Swedish vacation, into the past and the countryside, and the simple life of a good-hearted farming man. Gorgeous cinematography. And wonderful details... it was great to see the traditional Mora clock, quietly ticking away, and reminding our dear farmer that life is short, and he should take life by the reigns and do his best. He does, and it's lovely.

Those who love this film should see "House of Angels," another of Nutley's quiet gems.

Recommended.

20 of 24 found the following review helpful:

Oh my goodness, what a romance  Feb 29, 2004
By Peggy Vincent "author and reader"
While watching this movie with my husband last night, I kept saying aloud, "Oh my goodness, this is lovely, just lovely." It's so lush and lyrical and downright touching (oooh, I hate to use that word, for fear readers will think it's sappy or stupid, and it's not - but it IS touching). You fear all will not end well for dear Olaf, a huge country `boy,' a 40yo self-proclaimed virgin whose other major problem is that he's illiterate. But Olaf has a heart of the purest gold. He has lived alone on a remote Swedish country farm with his dog and his chickens, cows, and horses. There is one `friend,' Eric, a slick man-of-the-world, who has been borrowing money from him. Olaf can't even read the IOU notes Eric gives him now and then.
Olaf, shy and socially awkward, has been alone since his mother's death a decade earlier. There's nothing weird about his love for his mother; you don't get the sense he's a momma's boy. It's just that, way out at the end of the road, there's not much opportunity to meet women. So he puts an ad in a big newspaper for `a housekeeper.'
Enter: Ellen. Obviously a city girl, in her fitted suit, upswept French twist, and high heels. And obviously, she has a past, a secret, a hidden flaw, because otherwise, why would this urbane woman be answering an ad to go live on a remote farm?
Eric, jealous and fearful that his abuse of Olaf's trust will be discovered, determines to discover Ellen's secret.
That's enough of a set-up to get you started on your way to the video store to rent this absolutely beautiful, redemptive movie. See it, and recommend it to all your friends if you love it as much as I did.

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:

One of the most beautiful movies ever!  Mar 22, 2006
By Jorge Escolan Suay
During the middle nineteen fifties, during the cold war, Sweden was the scenario of airborne drills and military testing, the plane flies carrying weapons, emulating the birds, the real ones, and the wooden man made in the cage...and in The Little Farm (Bates book's that inspired this movie), one man is looking for a miracle, a woman to love. And what a great way to put that, wars are left behind by love stories, because is love what really matters...there is nothing new under solen. Rolf Lassard, face goes alike his horse both are noble, truth, good willed...a man eager to love, a man who believes in friendship. A simple man who can read the heart over no words. Helena Bergstrom is outstanding: pragmatic, but genuine, looking for a life in the farm, where a day of handwork has the reward of a kiss and the beauty of the passion between two people in love. The summer in the Scandinavian interior, the metaphor of the spider Webb, the clock that unwinds at 9:00 PM, the dog that respects the privacy of his master...Seeing Olof taking the horses to drink in Vanderlake...A remarkable work of Colin Nutley, the movie is almost a tranquilizer that conveys meditation, reflex ion and love. And of course...the music! It is almost a crime that there is no soundtrack, cause if you add Paddy Molloney, Gabriel Fauré Requiem opus 48, The Weeping Willows (It's so hard to always loose), Bill Whelan Celtic Heartbeat, and the Scandinavian folk...my goodness, you are in presence of a masterpiece. The sequence of "read the letter for me..." is one of the most romantic scenes ever in a movie. This is a movie, if you have had enough of FX and violence, and if you are looking for Arts and The missing romanticism of Roy Orbisson, the voice of Magnus Carlsson, The Chieftains and The Pastoral Scandinavian, this movie is for you!

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

A True Swedish Classic!  Nov 28, 2001
By bollnas
This is a true Swedish classic- definitely in the same arena as "My Life As A Dog". I saw this at Cinequest in San Jose, CA some time ago, and have been waiting for it to be released on VHS or DVD ever since. It amazes me that a film of such beauty is hardly known outside the film festival circuit.

It's a story of a single, illiterate man, a farmer in his forties, whose been living alone for several years since the death of his mother. He comes to the realization that he may never find a mate, so he places an add in the local paper for a maid servant- with the intention of meeting and falling in love with her. It's a beautiful, heart warming love story. One that I hope will be released on DVD in the near future.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

Under the Sun (Under Solen)  Aug 15, 2001

I saw this movie in the original Swedish two years ago, and I only have a basic grasp of Swedish. I absolutely ADORED this movie, and have not be able to WAIT until I could get it with the English subtitles. Even without having a total knowledge of the Swedish language, the acting and direction in this movie are so good, I STILL knew what was going on at all times. If you care anything for "the olden days" in the "old country," I recommend you get this movie. I thought it was fantastic. Colin Nutley is the greatest!

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