The Wayward Girl

The final film by the remarkable Edith Carlmar turned out to be the work that introduced the world to one of cinema’s most magnificent actresses — Liv Ullmann. A ravishing 20-year-old here, Ullmann radiates a sensuality that alternates between innocence and a dark seductive power. The illegitimate daughter of a bitter mother, Gerd (Ullmann) attracts the attention of Anders, a student from a good middle-class family. Defying his parents, who strongly disapprove of Gerd, Anders takes her on a trip to a cottage deep in woods. There, their relationship flowers; Carlmar includes provocative scenes of the two young people together that must have been shocking for contemporary audiences. The isolated world they create at the cottage seems too good to be true, and it turns out it is, as their idyll is interrupted by a passing vagrant and the concern of their parents.