AllMovie

Filmed right before the Nazi occupation, Charlie the Inn-Keeper idealizes Sweden's pastoral past in an attempt to unify the national consciousness. Kalle, an innkeeper, is trapped in a bad marriage and under all kinds of pressure, personal and political. He has a daughter by a servant, is hounded by the local government, and has a juvenile delinquent for a son. These forces come to a head when Gosta, the son, steals a wallet at a local dance. A servant girl is arrested and is put on trial for the crime. In the courtroom, Kalle denounces his son and forces him to confess. Then the girl steps forward and claims Kalle as her father. It all ends well as Kalle and his wife adopt the girl and the film closes with the unity of the family unit, and symbolically the Swedish people, restored.