Smultronstället (1957)

aka Wild Strawberries, directed by Ingmar Bergman, is one of my favorite films of all time. It is on the short list of films I have to revisit every couple of years. Some films are just entertaining, and others are a waste of time, but some films become a piece of you, adding on to what you were before watching them. Every time I watch Wild Stawberries I feel as though my self has been stretched, made deeper, not necessarily happier, but wiser.

Isak Borg is nearing the end of his life, and he is about to receive a great honor for years of service as a local doctor, but as he looks back on his life he realizes that he has failed in his personal relationships. Now in his 70s, he discovers that the loss of his true love 50+ years ago made him die inside, and shaped the lonely years that followed. The biggest discovery is that he has been cold and selfish towards those who tried to love him, his wife, his son, and now his daughter-in-law. The movie ends on a note of hope that he might find a final peace in reconciling himself with the events of his distant past.

Check out the page on Bergmanorama, an Ingmar Bergman fansite.
It is black and white, and subtitled, so this movie is a hard sell in most cases. But it does keep moving, and it starts with a fantastic dream sequence that is still being studied in film schools. This is one of those movies that has single images that will stay with you for the rest of your life. The watch with no hands. The pinched faced man, the liquid flowing out of the melting man, an image of clouds, a tree, the examination room. So many perfect images. If you have seen other Bergman films, don’t be frightened of this one, it might be the only Bergman film with a shred of hope in it. It will still make you weep. -Blake