Set in rural southern Sweden during the catastrophic crop failures and famine of the 1860s, Nykvist’s restrained and expressive debut film as a director tells of a family’s struggle to survive. The moral crisis that ensues is encapsulated in the figure of the ox: the only source for food and yet the only means for the survival of their landlord’s farm. The film delineates a society under severe strain, held together solely by the strictest religious and social codes. Subtly varying color tones reflect the characters’ changing states of mind while the seasonal structure of the film culminates in a springlike scene of reconciliation.