Controversial because of one scene portrayal of au naturel and, along with the film One Summer of Happiness from the year before, directed by Arne Mattsson, contributed to an idea of Sweden as an immodest, sexually loose population.

The two of them would continue to work together, even after their romantic relationship had ended, in films like Sawdust and Tinsel, Smiles of a Summer Night, Through a Glass Darkly, and Cries and Whispers.

At her home, Monika tires of her alcoholic father's incessant drinking and violent outbursts, packs her belongings and runs away.

Harry happily accepts responsibility and settles down with Monika and their child; he gets a real job and goes to night school to provide for his family.

Harry leaves town for work and comes home a day early to find his wife with another man.

They get a divorce and Monika flees the responsibility of child rearing leaving Harry with custody of their daughter, June, to raise alone.

Renaming the film Monika, the Story of a Bad Girl, he provided a good deal of suggestive promotional material, including postcards featuring the nude Andersson.

[3] The exploitation version of Bergman’s film successfully played rural drive-in theatres for years, unaffected by the fact that a year later it was re-contracted, this time with Janus Films, to let the uncut, subtitled version play at art-theaters as well.