| Empire (excerpt) and The Life of Juanita Castro Directed by Daniel Bergman | |
(Recommended for age 6 and older.) In his directorial debut, Daniel Bergman, the son of Ingmar Bergman, has adapted two stories by Astrid Lindgren, the author of Pippi Longstocking. In Brenda Brave, a plucky little girl who lives with an old woman must take care of her guardian when the woman is hurt. Brenda manages to earn their keep and a much-coveted, beautiful doll. In Good Night, Mr. Vagabond, three children home alone are at first scared and then charmed by the appearance of a vagabond who turns out to be the kind of eccentric that children appreciate. Sweet Pea, another Lindgren story adapted for film by Staffan Gotestam, tells the Cinderella-like tale of a young girl who lives with and is exploited by her two aunts. This Cinderella, however, rebels.

