Photography, like film, has often been linked to immortality, with the medium well recognised for its ability to ensure that our memories live on long after we are gone. In the same way that DVD and blu-ray (or some other, not as yet conceived digital storage medium) offerings of today’s movie blockbusters will afford future generations the ability to know and love the sight of Robert Pattinson (or despise, or ridicule, or otherwise judge), pictures dating back to the birth of mechanical image capture allow us to look into the past with exquisite detail – an ability now greatly amplified with the advent of digital cameras and online photo sharing sites. Exploring this concept within the confines of the Swedish working class at the turn of the twentieth century, five-time Academy Award nominated director Jan Troell’s slow-moving, intricate and emotive drama Everlasting Moments (Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick) follows the sympathetic true story of resilient Maria Larsson (played by Finnish actress Maria Heiskanen, A Man’s Work), housewife, mother of seven, and blooming photographer of the ordinary and extraordinary in her small rural community.
It was a camera that sealed Maria Larsson’s marriage to Sigfrid (Mikael Persbrandt, Heaven’s Heart), her libidinous drunken brute of a husband – the very same camera that brought her solace as she faced a life filled with caring for an ever-increasing brood of children and cleaning other people’s houses. Winning it in the lottery, its status as something shiny and new ensured Sigfrid’s hand in matrimony, however years later when his passion had been replaced with relentless philandering, Maria’s fortuitous discovery of her forgotten prize opened the door to another world – one to be explored, described, and captured. Initially planning to sell the device to support her family when political action rendered their financial predicament worse than dire, she is convinced otherwise by Mr Pedersen (Jesper Christensen, The Young Victoria), the kindly proprietor of the local photographic establishment. As a tender bond is forged between Maria and her new friend, time passes and her children grow, but still photography provided an escape from her otherwise harsh and monotonous existence as she cultivated a new profession behind the magic of the camera lens.
Nominated for the best foreign film award at the 2009 Golden Globes and making the shortlist for the Oscars in the same year, Everlasting Moments is reminiscent of Troell’s earlier work, as well as bearing similarities in style to everything from Jane Campion’s The Piano to Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon. A beautifully composed and quietly captured film, it takes its time to linger on the subtle details and reflect upon not just the big moments in Maria’s life but the small ones as well, in a measured and textured approach akin to watching a novel unfold. Artfully directed by an auteur willing and able to get the best out of his actors, the performances are fantastic all round, however it is Persbrandt’s re-teaming with Troell – the director of her breakout role in Il Capitano: A Swedish Requiem – that renders the most memorable and moving of portrayals. An evocative and old-fashioned feature filled with delicate touches and difficult conditions, Everlasting Moments is a tender and patient period piece about leaving a legacy found only in single frames of cellulose, that imparts its own masterful imprint upon the unsuspecting viewing public.
Everlasting Moments is currently screening in selected cinemas across the country.
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