A 64-minute Swedish TV movie about 1880s Parisian artists fighting the patriarchy? Absolutely unhinged. I'm in.
Axel and Bertha are a married couple who are both artists in 1880s Paris, the film addresses the topic of gender equality in marriage and society, for example the property rights of married women.
Writing
Sharp dialogue weaponizing 1880s gender politics for modern audiences.
Acting
Lena Söderblom's barely-contained rage as Bertha steals every scene.
Director
Bodil Malmsten
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bodil Malmsten directed this without ever visiting Paris; she recreated 1880s Montmartre entirely through research and imagination on a Swedish TV budget.
The film aired on Swedish television in 1982, the same year Sweden passed major reforms to marriage property laws—making this less historical curiosity and contemporary propaganda.
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