A personal account of Sweden's national poet Carl Michael Bellman and his family in the 1790s Stockholm. Carl Michael Bellman (Tomas von Brömssen) is a sensitive artist who lives in a society of decay. He acts as a "stand-up artist, often without payment. Wine and spirits are always free and it pulls hard on him. Bellman and his wife Louise (Tanja Lorentzon) live in a loving marriage, but in extreme poverty.

Directed by Leif Magnusson
Screenplay by Leif Magnusson, Sverker Hällen
Tomas von Brömssen (Carl Michael Bellman), Tanja Lorentzon (Lovisa Bellman), Bisse Unger (Gustav Bellman), Mikael Persbrandt (Westman), Noomi Rapace (Anna Rella) Carl Michael Bellman (4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish poet and composer. Bellman is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a very important influence in Swedish music, as well as in Scandinavian literature in general, to this day.