Becoming Astrid

The movie is good if you watch it as a work of fiction. Now, if you are looking for biographical integrity, is 1000 miles from reality.Astrid Lindgren was not the victim that the writers try to portrait on this feature film. She was a great writer and a woman of character that chose, not once, but twice, to he involved with married men (I am not criticizing her choice, just pointing it out).She never picked her kid up to take care of him, but instead, sent him to be taken care of by her parents (again, a fact, not a judgment).Her relationship with Mr. Lindgren was not pure and lovely as is showed in the movie. He was married and she entered in a relationship with him. He got a divorced, and only after they got married and she achieved a comfortable and secure life, she reunited with her son.No need to sugarcoat her life. It would have been more useful an insightful view in her life and career... I mean, becoming Astrid Lindgren, the writer, which in reality didn't happen until many years after the period recounted on this movie.

I've never read Astrid Lindgren's books -- I only knew she was a Swedish children's author -- and initially I wasn't sure I was going to like this movie. It starts slow, out in the countryside, on the poor, hardscrabble farm where Astrid grows up in a pious, respectable and rather austere Lutheran family. However, by the end I thought this was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.The acting is superb, especially the actress playing Astrid herself. The music is excellent and effective in setting mood. And the cinematography is pure and sometimes poetic.What makes the movie though is the sensitivity and intelligence of the script coupled with the "truth is stranger than fiction" reality of Astrid's life itself. To be clear: this is not the story of "Astrid Lindgren Celebrity Author." There are no depictions of her publishing books or winning prizes or hobnobbing with the rich and famous.Rather this is the story of her adolescence and early adulthood and of the background and backbone which allowed a young person with limited formal education from a poor and obscure family, living in a backwater of Sweden to become an internationally famous writer. It is a story about character--in particular, the formation and testing of character.I was amazed at what Astrid went through at a young age, with very few resources to support her and tremendous social pressures and prejudices against her. By the time you finish this move, you realize that she was a person of tremendous strength, integrity and courage as well as a kind and loving heart. Seeing this film made me want to know more about Astrid's life and work.

First I want to say it was a really good movie about family, hardship, beauty, forgiveness, and gifts that we are born with. I was all set to watch this movie.... then after reading one review I hesitated, I did not want to watch anything that had political overtones, any "message" of socialism, or feminism or any " ism" -anything that would tie me into judgmentalism. I read the rest of the reviews and decided to go ahead with it. I am glad I did. It was a simple movie set during a time when life was different. The girl was not 14 or 15 when she became involved with a man that appeared to be in his 30's. The movie clearly stated she was 16 at some point seemingly at least a year before they became sexually involved, so she could have been 17? We do not know and the movie did not tell us so why bother with it. During that time period that was more the norm than it is now. ( Not that it is right, it is not, but this was a movie from then- not now.) - Just watch the movie, relax and enjoy life. God is good.

To understand the movie, it helps to know a few things.This was in the 1920s and the Social Democrats and theCommunists were still in the process of subverting theiron-grip of the State-Church (Swedish-Lutheran).The message from the pulpits was: Work hard and obeyyour masters. They are wiser than you; that is why Godset things up as He did. You will get your reward for alleternity in Heaven after you die.Needless to point out, this was a happy tune to theowner (capitalist) class and also to the large land-ownerclass. The greatest part of the population lived in aserf or tenant-farmer society still. Class mobility wasa new idea.The labor unions had not yet established manywork-related reforms, but there were workingon these things.There was no free medical care, although there wasuniversal education for those whose parents could sparethem the time to be in school.Women were paid only a small amount for jobsfor which men were paid much more.Astrid's family were partly employed through the Churchand the land and the house they lived on was owned by theChurch. This put them even more under the thumb ofholy tyranny, compared to only having to keep upappearances for the neighbors (which was still extremeat that time).So, these are some of the factors which caused the storyto go as it did.

I'm not sure that this answered all the questions in her life, but I will say that the story made one think about how events in ones life changes the course of ones life.

this touching bio is centered around astrid lindgren and her life as a teen, then early adulthood as a young unwed mother. alba august is extremely talented as is the little boy who portrays her son! a beautiful portrayal of motherhood.don't go by a couple of the reviews that gave one or two stars for reasons like "it has subtitles" - that is clearly stated in the description of the movie, or the bad review for one non graphic, sexual scene between astrid as a young girl and her much older lover. Context is everything. It's a biographical movie and also the has a rating of 13+ in the description. well worth watching if you like the author, are ok with subtitles and one very low key sex scene.