Plot Summary

Arne Sucksdorff’s feature-length nature film follows two young brothers in the Swedish countryside as they encounter the harshness and beauty of the forest: a fox raiding a chicken coop until killed by a farmer, and an otter they secretly raise before setting free. Narrated by an adult recalling childhood, the film reflects on the bond between children and animals and the conflict between human society and nature. Sucksdorff achieved its extraordinary close-ups by filming with both tame animals from his own collection and wild ones, enabling scenes like a fox teasing an otter or an owl seizing prey. Winner of the International Prize at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival, it remains his most acclaimed work.