Title: Jag är Maria
English translation: I am Maria
Year of release: 1979
Country: Sweden
Director: Peter Schildt (in his directorial debut)
Screenplay: Peter Schildt
Based on: The novel Jag är Maria by Gun-Britt Sundström (1976)

The film follows the life of Maria (played by Marie Forså), a young woman navigating a period of intense sexual and personal discovery. Set against the backdrop of Stockholm, the narrative is episodic, stringing together encounters that define her coming-of-age.

Maria begins the film somewhat naive but possesses a natural, uninhibited curiosity. Throughout the story, she engages in relationships with several men—ranging from a stable boyfriend to fleeting encounters with strangers. The plot is less about a traditional "beginning-middle-end" structure and more about a sensory journey. It explores her evolution from a passive object of desire into a woman who begins to understand her own agency, even if the environment around her treats her as a fantasy figure.

Directed by Jack Ersgard, the film was produced during the "Golden Age" of Swedish erotica. Unlike the controversial, darker themes found in films like Thriller – en grym film (They Call Her One Eye), Jag är Maria is lighter and softer in tone. It was designed for export, specifically targeting the growing market for "sleaze-chic" in countries like Germany, Japan, and the United States, where Swedish films carried a specific brand of prestige erotica.