All Things Fair
All Things Fair is a 1995 Swedish period drama film, written and directed by Bo Widerberg as his final film. It tells the story of a sexual relationship between a teacher and her 15-year-old student in Malmö, Sweden during World War II. Widerberg's son Johan stars as the boy Stig and Marika Lagercrantz plays his teacher Viola. The original title is taken from the Swedish hymn "Den blomstertid nu kommer", which is traditionally sung in schools before closing for the summer holiday.
In 1943 in the midst of World War II, Stig is a 15-year-old boy in his third year at a Malmö school, having moved with his family to the area from Stockholm two years prior. He is close with his older brother Sigge, a boxer who will soon be leaving for duty on the front lines. One day during class, Stig gets into trouble for passing notes and is asked by his teacher Viola to stay behind. She demands to see the note, which reveals the boys' ignorance about sex in embarrassing detail. As punishment, Viola has Stig wash the blackboard and get rid of the flies in the classroom. Stig develops an attraction to the married Viola and feigns an interest in her collection of dictionaries as an excuse to be around her. Viola reciprocates Stig's affections and soon they embark on an affair. Stig and Viola's husband, Kjell, happen to both be at Viola's home one day and Stig is spotted by Kjell before he can make an escape. Kjell, a salesman, is not angry at Stig and does not appear to suspect the boy of anything, assuming him to be a tutee of his wife. Kjell and Stig begin to form an easy bond over classical music, a pastime Stig's father has no appreciation for.
Box office
The film grossed $2.3 million in Sweden during 1996.
Critical reception
Writing for Variety, critic Gunnar Rehlin praised the performances, writing "As the boy, Johan Widerberg (in reality 21, and an experienced actor) is at his best to date under his father's direction. As Viola, Lagercrantz again shows herself to be one of Sweden's most versatile actresses". However, Rehlin also said the "pic falls short in developing some of its characters and side plots. It would, for instance, have been interesting to learn more about the boy's parents, their inner lives and reactions to events". Critic Adrian Martin wrote of the film, "…this is a solely male rite-of-passage tale, in which Stig's acquisition of knowledge and experience occurs at the expense of the woman who charitably helps him get there. When Stig's jilted and outraged young girlfriend Lisbet (Karin Huldt) flees in a huff, I found myself applauding her good sense – but I also wished she would return to the movie and even up the gender score a little".
Awards and nominations
The film was awarded the Special Jury Prize Silver Bear and the Blue Angel Award at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival and the Audience Award at Gothenburg Film Festival. It also won the awards for Best Actor (Johan Widerberg) at the Rouen Nordic Film Festival and Best Actress (Marika Lagercrantz) at Festroia International Film Festival. At the Guldbagge Awards, the film won in three categories: Best Film, Best Direction and Best Supporting Actor (Tomas von Brömssen). Johan Widerberg and Marika Lagercrantz were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 68th Academy Awards.
