He was a student. She was his teacher. Their love was forbidden.
Overview
In 1943 Malmö, 15-year-old Stig is attracted to his teacher Viola, 22 years his senior, who, drawn to his youth and innocence, believes the lad is a God-sent relief from her miserable marriage to a drunken, unfaithful lout.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.0/10
IMDb: 6.8/10
Letterboxd: 3.34/5
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
Bo Widerberg
Production
Per Holst Filmproduktion, Det Danske Filminstitut, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Svenska Filminstitutet, Egmont Film, TV 2
Cast
Johan Widerberg, Marika Lagercrantz, Tomas von Brömssen, Karin Huldt, Nina Gunke, Kenneth Milldoff, Björn Kjellman, Frida Lindholm, Sigge Cederlund, Monica Stenbeck, Frida Farrell, Peter Larsdotter, Magnus Andersson, Thomaz Ransmyr, George Bisset, Gösta Ekstrand, Hilda Suovanen, Per Olov Börjeson, Jörgen Svensson, Nynne Schwartz
Curator Review
Verdict
A beautifully acted, emotionally charged period drama with strong atmosphere and a serious humanist streak, but its central relationship is deliberately unsettling and can feel morally and tonally abrasive. It’s worth watching if you’re interested in Bo Widerberg’s craft, wartime Swedish drama, and films that sit in uncomfortable ethical territory rather than smoothing it over.
Best for
Viewers drawn to morally complicated period dramas
Fans of intimate, character-driven European cinema
People interested in wartime stories focused on private lives rather than battle
Those curious about Bo Widerberg’s humanist style and naturalistic performances
Skip if
You want a clear moral framework or an unambiguous condemnation on screen
You’re sensitive to age-gap romance involving a minor
You prefer lighter wartime dramas or conventional romance
You dislike films that make discomfort part of the viewing experience
Overview
All Things Fair is the kind of period drama that refuses to behave politely. Set in wartime Malmö, it uses the pressure of 1943 to frame a relationship that is both seductive and deeply disturbing, and it never lets the audience forget how unstable that attraction is. The film’s power comes less from plot than from mood: the textures of school, home, and city life, and the sense that private longing is being shaped by a larger, harsher world.
Worth noting
Bo Widerberg directs with a humanist eye, giving even the most compromised characters a recognizable emotional logic. That approach can be unsettling, because the film is not interested in easy judgment or tidy catharsis. Instead it lingers on desire, loneliness, shame, and the way war distorts ordinary boundaries. The performances are central, especially the young lead, whose mix of innocence and self-importance makes the story feel painfully alive.
Bottom line
It’s an accomplished film, but not an easy recommendation. If you want a refined, serious drama that trusts atmosphere and performance over sentiment, it has a lot to offer. If you need the film to clearly distance itself from the relationship at its center, the experience may feel too compromised to enjoy.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Dhario DeSousa (4★) · 166 likes
I know it's not the most abhorrent thing in a movie with antisemitism, statutory rape, alcoholism, petty vindictiveness, and literal Nazis, but sharing one piece of chewing gum is disgusting.
Graham (3.5★) · 83 likes
Back at school, there was this 'infamous' kid (who by the time I'd heard the story was a young man) who had, allegedly, engaged in a brief physical relationship with the school's Geography teacher, a very nice lady and great educator we'll call Sarah. 'Jason' lived off that story for years, never revealing the details, but always claiming its legitimacy.
Of course, some time later it became clear that our local stud was being rather adventurous with the truth, and… more
elise (4★) · 68 likes
bo widerberg be like «i want my son in this»
Avirup · 36 likes
It should have been me.. or at least wish had a dad who'd put me in something like this. But yes the good stuff. They don't (can't, unless they are French) make films like this anymore.
1991 · Drama, Fantasy · 1h 38m · R · Curator 9.0/10 (181.1K ratings)
A more poetic European drama, but similarly interested in interiority, longing, and elusive emotional connection.
Topics
Swedish cinema, period drama, wartime setting, forbidden romance, moral ambiguity, coming-of-age, psychological drama, humanist filmmaking, naturalism, 1990s European cinema