"Wild Strawberries" **** (out of ****)
Ingmar Bergman's "Wild Strawberries" is a film that takes on many concepts. It is a story about fathers and sons and the generational gap between them. It addresses themes of life, death, love, family and self-examination. Given these themes the film could have been Bergman's swan-song. In fact the film shares a lot in common with "Fanny and Alexander", which was intended to be Bergman's last film, released in 1983.
"Wild Strawberries" is one of those films with improves with age. As we get older, we see ourselves in the characters. The themes are universal. We also discover new things with each additional viewing. Scenes which at one time didn't seem to reveal much now take special meaning.
Dr. Isak Borg (Victor Sjostrom, in his last screen appearance) is about to receive an honorary doctrine for the work he has done over the last 50 years in the medical field. He must drive out to his hometown and accept the award. But Isak has no one to share the moment with. His son, Evald (Gunnar Bjornstrand) lives from away. He is not very close with his daughter-in-law, Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) who lives with him for the moment, due to an agrument with Evald. And his wife has passed away.
At the last moment Isak decides to drive with Marianne to his hometown. When he arrives there, he is flooded with memories of the past. Isak, now in his older years views his life a failure. He has changed so much over the years. He has no emotional connection to anyone. He son hates him. He has no friends to speak to. He looks at his marriage as a failure. Being married to a woman he really didn't love. And he worries he has carried his problems onto his son.
Many have described the Bergman style as "bleak". I don't think one could say that about this film. I think it ends happily. By the film's end, I think what Bergman is telling us is, yes, we all must die. We cannot rectify the mistakes of yesterday. There is no way to change the past. But, we can find inner peace. We can try to live our lives better and be hopeful of what tomorrow may bring. The future is still changeable as long as we have the will.
Much of "Wild Strawberries" is told in flashback. It is here we learn about Isak's youth. His first love. His fond memories of wild strawberries (which are suppose to represent innocence). His old home. The sudden revelation that his wife had an affair.
These images of old are countered by images of youth. On the road Isak picks up a young girl, Sara (Bibi Andersson). She brings out Isak's youth. He feels young around her.
One of the most famous moments in the film is a dream sequence at the beginning of the film. It sets the tone of the rest of the film. In it Isak is confronted by death. The metaphors project in the sequence are done with a brilliance many filmmakers to date have been unequal to match. Bergman simply finds the right object to suggest the correct emotion. It tells us everything we need to know about Isak's character. His fears, his longings and his view of the world and mankind. And all of it is silent.
"Wild Strawberries" was released at a time when Bergman was starting to gain international fame. Largely in thanks to "The Seventh Seal" released two years before this film in the United States. Critics responded well to the film. Sjostrom won a best actor award from the National Board of Review. It also took their prize for best foreign language film. Bergman was even nominated for best original screenplay but lost to, can you believe this, "Pillow Talk".
Still "Wild Strawberries" is a powerful film. And without question in my mind, one of the masterpieces of cinema.
Posts
