All Things Fair (, literally "Desire and Great Beauty") is a Swedish film written and directed by Bo Widerberg. It was released to cinemas in Sweden on 3 November 1995, and was Widerberg's final film. It tells the story of a sexual relationship between a teacher and her 15-year-old student in Malmö, Sweden during World War II. Widerberg's son Johan Widerberg stars as the boy Stig and Marika Lagercrantz plays his teacher Viola. The original title is taken from the Swedish hymn "Den blomstertid nu kommer", which is traditionally sung in schools before closing for the summer holiday.

Plot

In 1943 in the midst of World War II, Stig is a 15-year-old boy in his third year at a Malmö school, having moved with his family to the area from Stockholm two years prior. He is close with his older brother Sigge, a boxer who will soon be leaving for duty on the front lines. One day during class, Stig gets into trouble for passing notes and is asked by his teacher Viola to stay behind. She demands to see the note, which reveals the boys' ignorance about sex in embarrassing detail. As punishment, Viola has Stig wash the blackboard and get rid of the flies in the classroom. Stig develops an attraction to the married Viola and feigns an interest in her collection of dictionaries as an excuse to be around her. Viola reciprocates Stig's affections and soon they embark on an affair. Stig and Viola's husband, Kjell, happen to both be at Viola's home one day and Stig is spotted by Kjell before he can make an escape. Kjell, a salesman, is not angry at Stig and does not appear to suspect the boy of anything, assuming him to be a tutee of his wife. Kjell and Stig begin to form an easy bond over classical music, a pastime Stig's father has no appreciation for.

Awards