Too long, too dark, too much suffering - but a good movie about an "outsider" artist

At more than two hour running time, "Everlasting Moments" is far too long for its material, but it's a very good, thoughtful movie that seems to truly capture the hardships of a family life in a particular time and place - southern Sweden in the early 20th century - and universally, in a working-class family where the father is alternately fun-loving and charming then a drunkard and a bully. If he were always horrible, it would be a movie of unrelenting gloom, and no doubt his long-suffering wife would have left and end of movie. But he keeps trying to reform and she keeps wanting to believe him and there are so many social pressure to keep her in the marriage. Things seem to be going well, and then he comes home drunk and the movie just explodes. Some very powerful scenes of domestic violence, and a solid political background as the father and some of the other characters get involved in a violent dockworkers' strike. The heart of the movie, though, is the mother's (Maria's?) fascination with photography - she tries to pawn a camera, but eventually starts taking pictures and has some real talent. This work helps keep the family alive, and is an artistic salvation for her - through her vision, and through a friendship she forms with a photographer in the city. This friendship almost costs her the marriage, and the relation between her and the photog remains ambiguous. The film apparently based on conversations with the woman's daughter - unclear whether the ambiguity of the relation with the photog was because of lack of info or to protect the reputation of the mother. Also not clear at all the stature of the woman's work: was she a well-known photographer in her life, or a talented amateur? Anyway, a pretty good movie but dark and full of suffering - reminds me of the many movies about the struggles of immigrants, but in this case they're the ones who didn't immigrate but should have. Also reminds me of the recent spate of movies about "outsider" artists.