Llueve sobre nuestro amor

'It rains on our love" (1946) is an early film by Ingmar Bergman. Bergman was a director who had to learn his trade so the film is worth watching , but it isn't great.

The film is about two vagabonds, a man (David played by Birger Malmsten, a regular actor in Bergman films up till 1950) and a women (Maggi played by Barbro Kollberg), that are treated roughly by society. Of course (representatives of) society do see that differently. In their view the vagabonds fail to adapt to society's norms.

Films about vagabonds always remind me of "the little tramp", the ultimate vagabond, most certainly if a stray dog is involved, as is the case in "It rains on our love". See also "A dog's life" (1918, Charlie Chaplin). Chaplin however was much more competent in finding the right mix between comedy and sentimentality than the young Bergman, and also than the mature Bergman I guess, because Bergman quit making films in this genre after a while.

The film ends with a courtroom scene, and this is one of the most memorable scenes of the film. In the beginning the two vagabonds are on trial, but when their lawyer starts his defence the roles are quickly reversed and it almost seems that society is on trial.

This lawyer (Gosta Cederlund) is a remarkable appearance in "It rains on our love". He starts as a sort of narrator / guradian angel and all of a sudden becomes a character. Most unusual!

When Maggi (Barbro Kollberg) misses her train, she meets David (Birger Malmsten) that invites her to go to a Salvation Army hotel to share a room with him. They have one night stand and on the next morning, David tells her that she had spent one year in prison. They decide to wander together and during the rainy night, Maggi twists her ankle and David breaks in a cottage to protect her from the rain and cold. Out of the blue, the owner Per Håkansson (Ludde Gentzel) appears in the cabin and offers to rent it to the couple. David finds a job with the local gardener Andersson (Douglas Håge) despite the opposition of his despicable wife and befriends two peddlers and a neighbor. When Håkansson offers to sell the cottage to David, Maggi discloses that she is pregnant of a stranger she had met a couple of months before she knew David. But sooner the naive couple leans the bureaucracy of his country and the selfish human nature of his neighbors.

The romance "Det regnar på vår kärlek" is the second film of Ingmar Bergman about a young couple with a questionable past that decides to move together to build a new life and finds how the selfish human nature of their fellowships and the behavior of the authorities of their country. The story recalled me Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" of the same year, with the defense attorney acting like an angel in the lives of Maggi and David when there was no more hope to the couple. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Chove Sobre Nosso Amor" ("It Rains over Our Love")

Maggi needs to take the next train, she's confused, alone and feels the strain, escaping her past, with baggage amassed, no hope and with nothing to gain (sometimes things don't turn out the way you had hoped).

David overnights at the station, going nowhere and not on vacation, bleak future ahead, no hope only dread, an outcast and left to damnation (just as today, a blemished past can lead you to the fringes).

Together they make a fresh start, so much better as two than apart, it's a struggle, a battle, being treated like cattle, to haul the metaphorical cart (a lot easier together though, to carry the baggage of the past).

The biases and prejudice against those who don't conform to societies ideals, as relevant today as ever it was, and quite possibly more abundant and widespread in a more diverse ecology. Beautiful and sincere performances throughout, leaves you determined to never give up or give in.

I love and admire Ingmar Bergman as well as a vast majority of his films. It Rains on our Love is not one of his very best, it starts off a little formulaic and slow and while there are some very interesting and well-explored themes they were even more fully explored later on. It Rains on our Love is beautifully shot and striking to look at, and Bergman's direction is adept and disciplined as usual. The dialogue provokes thought and the story is moving and compelling. I admired that It Rains on our Love didn't resort too much to melodrama and none of it felt cheap and overly-sentimental. The ending even has some optimism that doesn't feel forced in any way. And then there is the cast who are exemplary. Birger Malmstem and Barbro Kollberg are strong in the lead roles, but the wry performances from Bergman regulars Erland Josephson and Gunnar Bjornstrand were even better.

Overall, while not one of Bergman's very best, it is very good and well done and one of his better early films easily. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a romantic and exciting feel-good movie about a lovable naive couple with a questionable background, trying to start all over together and adapt themselves to the society. The young star director Ingmar Bergman here effectively portrays typically good and bad sides of the human behaviour. The main theme returns over and over again - how do people live with their past, and how do they handle the resulting conflicts and moral dilemmas? Despite the age of this movie (released in 1946) it does not feel old fashioned in any way. Common to Bergman's movies to come, this one is way ahead of its time. The story and acting feel just as fresh as any modern movie and is a pure enjoyment to watch, without any boring or embarrassing moments.