This is a well-done romantic story movie featuring explicit sex scenes. The film begins with Anna, the willowy, blond protagonist, and Johann, her strapping lover, out on a fishing boat. Anna explains that Johann was the great love of her life, but his sense of adventure led him to the Arctic, and she hasn’t heard from him in five years. Hurt by his abandonment, Anna vows to master her emotions, and to have sex for fun without becoming a victim of love ever again.

This sets the stage for a story about Anna’s life as she struggles to find love and happiness with men and with her work. After a flurry of casual sex partners, she decides to settle down with Frank. The first sex scene shows them painting the living room, and taking a break to have sex in front of the window. Later, when Anna discovers Johann is back in town, she decides that she can’t live with Frank, and so seeks out a wild, partying roommate named Camilla. The two women throw a rocking housewarming party, and Johann shows up the next morning, where he and Anna have sex in the kitchen while Frank sleeps in the next room. Johann scrawls his phone number on the wall as he hurries to leave, and when Frank stumbles into the kitchen, he wipes off the number, not knowing what it is. Anna flips out, and they soon break up.

Anna’s work as a costume designer gives her the opportunity to work for a company in Paris. As she prepares to leave for a few months, Camilla finds someone to sublet the place: none other than Johann! Anna is furious, and leaves for Paris in a whirlwind of tears and pain. While there, she befriends an actress named Sophie, who eventually seduces her for a quick romp in the costume-room backstage. Meanwhile, Camilla tries to seduce Johann, not knowing his history with Anna.

This movie has excellent production values. The plot is interesting, and would appeal to anyone interested in a coming-of-age love story about a young woman. The movie is visually attractive and colorful, with elements of sensuality woven throughout. The characters are believable; Gry Bay does an excellent job portraying Anna and the topsy-turvy emotions of a young woman making her way through life and relationships.

The sex scenes are brief but realistic and steamy. They are well-integrated into the rest of the story. There are no genital close-ups (but you do see the actors’ genitals); instead, there are a variety of full-body shots. The men wear condoms; there is one external ejaculation (following fellatio), and one instance of a condom being removed full of semen. There is male and female masturbation, several sex scenes between a man and a woman, and one sex scene between 2 women. No toy usage, no kink or bondage.

91 min. Produced in 2005. Directed by Jessica Nilsson.
Featuring Eileen Daly, Gry Bay, Ovidie, Mark Stevens, Thomas Lundy, and Thomas Raft.