Einar and Else have found happiness together, in a marriage that lacks only one thing; a child. Einar, who has a tendency towards melancholy, enters a deep depression, bordering to the psychotic, and the handling of this is the plot of the film.
One thing about watching a Norwegian film from 1951 is the stiff way they talk and the generally theater like acting. But this one even has a political element, easily fascinating 55 years after (and counting). I can't bring myself to doubt the general concern, implied in the film, for the way people with mental disorders are viewed in society (a theme discussed widely in the film is the "fear most people feel for the insane"). But then again - the glorification of electric shock therapy is just - insane, no pun intended. "It's like antibiotics for the soul". People really did believe that.
Anyway, Edith Calmar was one of the first recognized female Norwegian film directors, among other things was the first Norwegian AND a very early woman, to direct film noir. I wouldn't really call this film film noir, but you can certainly recognize some of the aesthetic.
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