Bille August - Pelle erobreren AKA Pelle the Conqueror (1987)

When his wife dies, Lassefar takes his 12-year-old son Pelle from their home in Sweden to Denmark in search of a better life. Signing on as laborers at a large farm, father and son undergo numerous trials, including prejudice against immigrants and run-ins with those more powerful than themselves in both the physical and the social sense. Over the course of a year, young Pelle learns what it takes to survive in a harsh and unforgiving world.