SALLY AND HER FREEDOM

Sweden, 1981, 102 minutes, Colour.
Leif Ahrle, Ewa Froling, Kim Anderzon, Gunnel Lindblom.
Directed by Gunnel Lindblom.

The two words of the title are significant. The film focuses on a young married woman, Sally played by Swedish actress Ewa Froling (Fanny and Alexander). The film opens with her at an abortion clinic and so raises the themes of pregnancy and abortion, women’s choice. The film also raises the issues of the relationships between men and women, husbands, fathers. To that extent Sally is representative of the generation of the 1970s.

The word ‘freedom’ is also significant. The film asks the question whether freedom means absolute liberty, freedom from constraints, the ability to do whatever one likes, or whether it implies discipline and responsibility, and accountability. Otherwise, freedom is self-centredness.

The film has a female sensibility. The director is Gunnel Lindblom, actress in many of Ingmar Bergman’s films including Winter Lights and The Silence. The film was written by Margareta Garpe.

1. An interesting and enjoyable film? Serious themes? The Swedish background and film-making? A film of the '80s - Swedish society, women, feminist themes?

2. Location photography, Swedish cities? The hospitals, the apartments, offices etc.? Audiences able to identify with this universal image of contemporary cities?

3. The feminine sensitivity of the film? The star and her performance, the writer and director and her sensibilities? Gunnel Lindblom and her writing and directing - and her performance and the role that she chose to take? Nora's comments on Sally? The focus on feminine issues, characters, perspective, problems? The feminist tone - its values, a critique? The feminine response to the film? Masculine response?

4. The portrait of Sally? As the focus of the film, audiences knowing her well? Understanding her feelings, her behaviour, her decisions? Her confusion? The opening in the abortion clinic and her reaction? Her hesitation, her wanting to be unconscious? Her being a number? Her riding home on the bike? The abortion as part of the day? The alienation from her husband? Her rejecting him? Her tantrums and his tantrums? The books that he was to take? Her love for her daughter? Her relying on her mother and using her mother? Her reactions to her mother and father's matchmaking? Her lack of regard for her father? Her statements about independence and freedom? The audience seeing her at work and her being involved in social work and advice? Her insensitivity to the Turkish woman with the large family and no money? Her discussing matters with Nora and relying on her help? Her using Nora as a mother-figure? The encounter with the teacher and her severity with him? Her attraction, the dates, Nora's party? The pressures of her husband ringing. his tantrums and her going to spend the night with him? Her coping with her daughter - especially when the teacher moved in? Did she really fall in love? The clashes? Her wanting a child and his not wanting the child? Her deliberately becoming pregnant and his reaction? Her relationship with her neighbour - the babysitting sequence? The discussions with her mother? The scenes with her grandmother - at the party, in hospital? The tensions at the birthday party? Her visit to her husband and his wife? Her tidiness etc.? Her daughter going to live with her father, gradually losing touch-with her mother? Her moods, the new pregnancy? The clash with Nora and Nora's telling her off? Her going to the abortion clinic and the circle being completed? Where would Sally go? How would be survive? Her freedom?

5. The importance of the group of episodes in the film, their cumulative effect and audience understanding of Sally? The strength of the performance and the feminine sensibility to the portrayal of Sally?

6. The portrayal of the men: Sally's husband and his work, ordinary husband, his statements about her pregnancy, his fatherhood, the rights to the abortion? His love for his daughter? Leaving, his phone calls and despair, the night with Sally, his new life and his greater confidence? The teacher and Sally's clash with him, the friendship, his divorce, his not having seen his daughter, his moving in, the seeming happiness of his relationship with Sally, her freedom? The growing tension, the scenes of their clash and exasperation? His visit to his mother? His attitude towards her pregnancy?

7. Sally's daughter - an attractive and strong performance, her home life, the details of her relationship with mother and father. coping with the separation. precocious attitudes towards the separation. the outings -and her attitude towards Simon? Her wanting a dog? Her living with her father. getting the dog, her friendship with her neighbour? The separation of mother and daughter?

8. Sally's father - a pleasant man, helpless? Her mother and old-fashioned style, care, hints at matchmaking, not understanding? The grandmother and Sally's mother looking after her, her being left with her mother, the illness and death sequence?

9. The portrait of women at work, social helpers - and the plight of the Turkish woman, Turkish traditions about having sons and daughters, pregnancy? Sally's neighbour and her attitude towards family life?

10. Nora as a strong woman, her helping Sally and listening to her, offering her friendship, standing in as a mother with support and advice? Her own experiences of abortion, family, her daughter, her tolerance of her philandering husband? The party? Sally's phone calls and demands on Nora? Nora's exasperation, telling her to stand on her own feet, highlighting her selfishness and lack of enquiry and regard for others?

11. Themes of pregnancy and abortion - abortion in Sweden, hospital style, the experience for the girls, the clinical aspects, the numbers, injections, the piped music, the operation, the attitude of the staff, their having to move out at the proper time, the refund on their taxi fare? Sally's first experience, her return?

12. Sally as representative of her generation? Typical? Why? Reaction to the older generation? Her longings, demands for freedom? Audiences identifying with Sally - or being critical of her?

13. The meaning of freedom - freedom from constraints, exercise of will or whim, discipline, responsibility and accountability, self-centredness?

14. How effective was the film as a portrait of a credible individual? As a comment on European society in the 1970s and 1980s?