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Directed by: Ingmar Bergman Starring: Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Björnstrand, Max von Sydow This was my third Bergman and probably my second favorite (Behind Seventh Seal). It is the story of a woman with schizophrenia (Andersson) and how her ailment begins to tear apart the already fragile family. The father (Björnstrand) is barely in his childrens' lives and is a self-centered intellectual. This comes to a head when his daughter finds out that he is using her disease as a muse for a novel he is attempting to write. From this point on, the schizophrenia only intensifies. Andersson played possibly the best sufferer of schizophrenia I've seen on film and the tension between the family is palpable. The film isn't exactly a study in the effects of schizophrenia, but it is rather used as a device to introduce a character study of this very dysfunctional family. I guess this film was the first in Bergman's "trilogy" where he begins to deal with his feelings towards religion and there is a sense (I think, at least) that he argued that God is found within humans through love. I'll have to watch the final two to determine if he changed his mind, but the issue of religion was not prominent throughout, rather it was dealt with at the end in a mature fashion. Anyways, I probably seem like a schizophrenic in this review, but the film is really a great look at the private lives of a family and the acting was superb all around. RATING: 4.5 PROS: Acting, writing, mature portrayal of schizophrenia CONS: None ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055499
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Mar 1, 2006 09:09
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 12:51 |
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