by Hal Erickson
synopsis
On the strength of his international success One Summer of Happiness, Swedish filmmaker Arne Mattson's Hemsoborna attained good bookings in the United States. The title, which translates to The People of Hemso, refers to a fiercely independent group of 19th-century island-dwellers. The main character is a fortune-hunter who marries the wealthiest woman on the island. When he reveals his mercenary nature, the "hero" comes to grief at the hands of the woman's grim-faced relatives -- not to mention the implacable forces of nature. Hemsoborna was based on a novel by August Strindberg.
