Bo Widerberg

Chafing at the oppressive bonds of the military and the expectations of 19-century high society, a Swedish army lieutenant (Thommy Berggren) risks it all when he goes AWOL, deserts his family and runs off with his lover, a circus ropewalker (Pia Degermark). But even as the couple revels in a blissful romance, pressures from the world they left behind inextricably push them toward a tragic decision. Bo Widerberg directs this lush period drama.