Une passion

Crippled animals, crippled souls. Guilt, punishment, responsibility. Nykvist goes into details, Bergman goes deeply into the dialogue. The proximity to the actors, their faces and feelings, evokes the impression of oppressive intimacy. The director closes us off with them in a single, austerely furnished room. Intruding on someone else’s innermost privacy is not pleasant, but you will want to remain inside instead of outside, where an animal killer and inclement weather rage. The island locations underscore the feeling of isolation, while it is the characters themselves who make life an obstacle course. Wherever they go, memories will follow them. Bergmen doesn’t torment only the viewer with the impossibility of escape, but also the actors, who are internally connected to their characters and forced to bear their sins. The interludes when the actors pretend that they are not acting are actually a warning from the filmmaker – doesn’t become too absorbed. That’s easier said than done. 80% (29/12/2011)

My second encounter with the hard-to-digest Ingmar Bergman was much better than The Seventh Seal. The film stands mainly on the acting performances and the difficult story of the crisis of interpersonal relationships. The inserted story with mutilated animals added to the film's stifling atmosphere. In short, a nice drama that doesn't fizzle out right after the end credits. (16/08/2012)