The words danced in his imagination, conjuring images of freedom and exploration. But for now, Johan was stuck in this stifling classroom, listening to the teacher drone on about grammar and syntax.
Viola is depicted not as a predator in a simplistic sense, but as a deeply lonely and unstable woman. Trapped in a marriage with a alcoholic traveling salesman, Kjell, she uses Stig as an escape from her own misery. The film utilizes the classroom setting to emphasize the transgression. The transition from the school desk to the bedroom highlights the violation of the teacher-student boundary.
“That’s where I learned it,” she said, staring at the black water. “Lust and great beauty. They are the same thing. And they always end in the same place.”
: Won the Silver Bear Special Jury Prize .