88
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
Movies like this are not for everyone, but arrive like private messages for their own particular audiences.
Under the Sun (Under Solen)
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- Sweden
- 1998
- · 130m
Director
Colin Nutley
Cast
Rolf Lassgård,
Helena Bergström,
Johan Widerberg,
Gunilla Röör,
Jonas Falk,
Linda Ulvaeus
Genre
Drama,
Romance
Olof lives alone on his family's farm after the death of his mother. Unable to read and write, he is dependent on his younger friend, Erik. Out of the blue, Olof advertises in the local paper for a housekeeper, and soon after, Ellen arrives to take over the house and, as the summer goes on, Olof's heart and Erik's as well.
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What are critics saying?
80
Washington Post by Stephen Hunter
Simple, earnest and workmanlike, it sings of Olof, glad and big, and how he lost his -- well, we can't say what he lost.
80
Los Angeles Times by Kevin Thomas
Casts a lovely spell, as warm and seductive as its summertime setting.
80
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
Makes a virtue of its own simplicity. But don't be fooled. That simplicity is mere cover. You're kept wondering about the outcome until the very end.
75
Miami Herald by Marta Barber
Under the Sun doesn't intend to be dramatic, much less melodramatic. This beautiful film just wants to capture life's simplicity.
75
San Francisco Chronicle by Edward Guthmann
A charming, finely nuanced romance.
75
Chicago Tribune by Michael Wilmington
Swedish cinema has been famous for a number of things: beautiful actresses, fine sexy psychological dramas, natural settings, cinematic bawdiness and a touch of melancholy. Under the Sun fits that profile well.
75
Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven Rea
This modest drama is the art-house equivalent of comfort food: satisfying in its familiarity.
70
New Times (L.A.) by Gregory Weinkauf
Gentle and gorgeous, honoring atmosphere over attitude.
70
TV Guide Magazine by Ken Fox
A touching coming-of-age story from Sweden, made interesting by the fact that the protagonist is a lonely, middle-aged farmer rather than an adolescent.
50
Chicago Reader
All three lead actors are adroit; but the story, adapted from a short story by H.E. Bates, is both contrived and not very well told.
50
Village Voice by Jessica Winter
The kind of quotidian pastoral -- about a simple, honest peasant who finds the greatest love of all -- that the Academy invariably finds irresistible.
50
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
The performances are likable and there's nothing really wrong with the story -- other than the fact that Nutley hardly has any story to tell.
30
The New York Times by A.O. Scott
It has the melancholy mildew of both "Marty" and the 1940's weepie "The Enchanted Cottage."
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