Brought out in the UK almost a year after they hype of it's Palme d'Or winning-performance at Cannes in 1992 Danish helmsman Bille Augusts beautiful but agonisingly slow romance toute de suite, didn't fair too well on these shores.
For those who caught Augusts brilliant and blub-inducing 1988 offering Pelle The Conqueror this movies equally lengthy three-hour running time will hold little fear, but sadly The Best Intentions comes within not a country mile of Pelles beauty, atmosphere and sense of purpose.
Scripted by the legendary Ingmar Bergman, and following the ups and downs of his parents stormy liaison dad an impoverished student pastor, mum a wealthy heiress, neither in posession of their parents blessing for the love-match from 1909 to his birth in 1918, this is lyricism and Swedish angst at its most acute, with August echoing many of Bergmans traits while stirring his own undoubted talents into the pot.
The simple fact, however, is that remarkably little actually happens here, with the Bergmans daily life the odd death, a family row, a tricky decision over which job to take seeming rather like anyone elses, and just as dull. Exquisite cinematography and fabulous acting particlarly from Augusts wife Pernilla, who deservingly swiped the Best Actress award at Cannes for her turn as Bergmans spoilt, wealthy and impetuous mother make up in part for the sheer lack of action or indeed much content here.