This is second of Norwegian film master Arne Skouen's so-called "troubled children"-trilogy, after "About Tilla"/"Om Tilla" in 1963, and before "The trip to the sea"/"Reisen til havet" in 1966. Sjouen was very concerned about the lesser fortunate children in his latter film years, also having a child with challenged himself.
This is also the best of the three films, and Skouen's daughter Synne Skouen is once again the main role girl here. All the three films are having quite a few equal references in the film making. This film is superior due to the excitement and the mysterious up-building of the story, which starts off with a dramatic train trip and the following trial, and goes back and forth between this trial and what did happen back then at a children's institution where the children were so strange and quiet.
After the incident on the train, a soldier follows a girl back to her institution, and this makes such an impact on him, that he decides to drop out of the military service, something which was a criminal offense in Noeway back then, called deserters. He wasn't to help out with the children on the orphanage, but then has to be trialled in court. His job is to explain why this job with the children are more important than training as a soldier in the national defense.
By this Skouen wanted to say that we tend not to give enough priority to our children, especially those who doesn't fit in.
Arne Aas does a great job as the soldier, and Rolf Søder is good as the old boss on the orphanage, having his own secrets from the past. By far the best of the three films in this "troubled child-trilogy", and well worth a watch, even though a very serious and mysterious theme.
The film is featured on a 16 DVD Box set with the complete filmography of Arne Skouen (except one film), well remastered as an important part of the Norwegain film heritage. Skouen was nominated for Oscar with "Nine lives" and four times chosen to present his films in the main program at the Cannes film festival, as a main voice in the first real golden age of Norwegian cinema in the fifties.
