'Under the Sun' shines simply

The delicate Swedish romance "Under the Sun" is all about light: a lovely, dusty golden shimmer illuminates each scene. In rural Sweden in midsummer, a lonely farmer named Olof (Rolf Lassgård) goes to bed each night while the sun is still low in the sky. One day, the object of his dreams appears: a smiling blonde named Ellen (Helena Bergström, looking like a Nordic Grace Kelly), who radiates a glow of her own.

Ellen moves in as Olof's housekeeper, and the two nervously form a bond. Since Olof's not much of a talker (the few words he laboriously speaks are nearly drowned out by heavy breathing), he never asks about Ellen's past, and Ellen doesn't volunteer. In the way of all romantic movies, the two fall in love, and a few secrets are eventually revealed.

"Under the Sun" *** With Rolf Lassgård, Helena Bergström, Johan Widerberg. Directed by Colin Nutley, from a screenplay by Nutley, Johanna Hald, and David Neal, based on a short story by H.E. Bates. 118 minutes. Not rated; contains brief nudity and sexuality. In Swedish with English subtitles. Seven Gables.

But really not much happens in "Under the Sun," nor does it need to; it's enough to watch the sun catch Ellen's curly hair, and see Olof's golden retriever dive into a shimmering pond, and see Ellen reclining languorously on the back of a horse. There's a final, life-affirming "yes," like Molly Bloom's in "Ulysses" — a perfectly simple ending, for a beautifully simple story.