Director Jon Lindström revealed that Karolina Korpioja wasn't his first choice for Agneta's role. "Instead of her, I'd chosen my own daughter (Yaba Holst), but the producer wouldn't let me. I was too close to her. But I really like to think of an actor when I'm writing. It's very stimulating," he said.
The film is based on the novels 'Agneta och lumpsamlaren' (1968) and 'Sista leken' (1970) by the Finnish-Swedish author Walentin Chorell (1912-83).
Sven Wollter was awarded a Guldbagge in 1985 in the 'best actor' category for his performance in the film. The film as a whole also won first prize at a festival in Aix-en-Provence in 1985. It was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Jon Lindström cast both Swedish and Finnish actors. Karolina Korpioja, who plays the young Agneta, was Swedish from the Torne Valley.
In his application to the Finnish Film Foundation for production support, Jon Lindström justified the Swedish language version of his film on the grounds that his mother tongue is Swedish, that Walentin Chorell also wrote his work in Swedish and that the film's story can be imagined as taking place in any Nordic country. "The artistic focus of the film is Finnish," he continued. "Cinematically, I consider myself part of the Finnish tradition, despite the fact that I have worked in Sweden for a long time. But my roots are here, and I'm proud of that."