There is a great deal to like about this film. It almost never went where I expected to go, and as someone who has no knowledge of the source material either in book or television form, I did not feel any signposts during the film itself that parts were serving as call-backs, easter eggs, or other such fluff that dates the superhero/Star Wars genre of today.

The pacing was really, really great and the film's funding from Åland's government and similar partners really shows in the locations. It really allows you to live and breathe on their island, to take in the surroundings and actually feel like you're there with Maija and Janne. If anything it's a solid tourism advert for the area. There were a couple of slow moments, such as when the island is occupied, or the quite extended ending as Maija comes to terms with her solitude. Trimming was somewhat in order, but when it's coming from source material, this kind of thing happens that seemingly unimportant scenes get kept due to their importance in previous media.

The movie has lots of lovely surprises for the new viewer. The attention to detail from the time appears to have been very thought-out: people converse in Swedish, mutter to themselves in Finnish, and deal currency in rubles and kopeks. Characters even have armpit hair - who knew!? In terms of the plot, the movie almost never signposts anything, which for me was really great. We think there's a blossoming romance with the local boy, and that this will come to something greater. Then she's wrenched away, and we think it's going to be a miserable drama where she fights with her wretched husband whom she doesn't even know. Then it's a war drama, then it's a family conflict, then it's a whole philosophical introspection about the meaning of life. It's nice that, for the most part, the film isn't cynical or tragic, but actually wholesome and uplifting. Great stuff!

On the movie's themes, I really liked how they showed rather than told Maija's philosophy and outlook. She was one with nature and took her pleasure from her participation in it. Whereas solitude was something she feared with a stranger, she soon discovers that Janne and she have a huge amount in common at the very base level of their desires that bring them into connection with one another. It's not all just signposted as it would be in a Hollywood movie biopic such as when we get Freddie Mercury's dad telling him vaguely how much he disapproves of his lifestyle in Bohemian Rhapsody.

All in all, the movie didn't have a "special" X-factor about it, but there was a lot to like. Janne and Maija's romance is really lovely and I really wanted things to work out. His fate is so obvious from the get-go, however. The point of it is to drive home the dangerous lives these people really did live in those days, but it didn't make the ending any more satisfying or any less depressing.

The TV series about this story came out in 1975 and was a masterpiece. My expectations for this version were therefore not high. A modern Maja for our time, it was said. Will they change the whole story, perhaps?

How wrong I was! One part of the movie in the middle could maybe have been shortened a little bit but otherwise the film was perfect. Maja was very different here than 49 years ago. She was stronger and happier and had a greater sense of humor. She was also more playful. I don't know what kind of woman the real Maja was (yes, there was a real Maja and a real Janne!) but I guess she must have been very much like this Maja. The actors playing Maja and Janne were perfect.

Some key scenes were very different in this version compared to the 1975 version, but they were no less moving. One of the most moving episodes from the 1975 version was in fact longer and more detailed here and left a greater impression on me. Director Tiina Lymi added details that were literally surprising, but they added to the beauty of the film. In one scene I really wondered what on earth the director was thinking. That very scene was one of the strongest in the whole movie, so Lymi knew what she was doing! They couldn't have done that in 1975. The budget probably would not have allowed it.

Any scenes that were left out from this new version did not hurt the story in my opinion. The incidents that moved me the most in 1977 when I saw the series were all in this version - different but still very powerful.

I have seen the tv-series from the 70's when I was little, so I was familiar with the story but I don't remember enough to be able to compare it to the film.

Therefore I went to the cinema with fairly fresh eyes and an open mind. And I was not disappointed! Amanda Jansson does a beautiful portrayal of Maja. She's raw, free, strong and Jansson's talent truly shines through in her interpretation of Maja. Jansson is the heart of this beautiful movie.

The love story is gripping and even though the run time of this movie is quite long at almost 3 hours, I kept my eyes glued to the screen at the beautiful scenery from the Åland islands and the captivating story. It's simply charming and I was very moved by this film. It paints a gripping picture of the harshness of life in the archipelago in the 1800's, letting us follow the lovable Maja, her husband Janne and their family.

The story and editing was a bit choppy in the beginning but once Maja and Janne start their life together, the movie finds its pace. I was moved to tears at multiple parts of the film and I almost didn't want it to end. Looking forward to rewatching it soon.