This vibrant biopic centers on a character-forming period in the young life of a Swedish writer born Astrid Ericsson. The name might sound familiar: she would later earn international fame as the beloved children’s author Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002). The film shows that the future creator of Pippi Longstocking had her own difficult periods, and she faced them with the same strength and determination one can discover in her writing. Considering what one would expect from a young woman of her era and upbringing, Astrid led a surprisingly unconventional life. At age 16, this smart, irreverent farm girl secured an internship at her local newspaper, where the charismatic editor shared her belief in freedom, modernity, and the future. They had an affair, and at 18, Astrid found herself pregnant. Despite the complications of bearing a child out of wedlock in 1920s Sweden, brave and radical Astrid defied the social mores of the time and went on to make her mark with a similarly free-spirited character in the world of children’s literature.