Rating of
3.5/4
Life or Something Like It
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/25/09
A professor on his way to get an accolade, through a series of dreams, nightmares and visions reflects on a life lived, but if you aren't really living, is it a life at all? Ingmar Bergman is considered a premier film director for a reason, and Wild Strawberries is one of the main reasons.
When you look back on your life, what will you find? For Dr. Isak Borg (a powerful, final performance from Victor Sjostrom) the answer is not one he wants to face. Even though he's led a full life as medical doctor, a husband, a brother - it's been an empty life, a cold life and finally a lonely life. Using dream sequences, visions and nightmares, Bergman shows us a window to the past - chance encounters, memories, fears - when your mortality is put before you it is not often a pretty picture.
It's not all dreams. There are real people here to - a near accident with a bickering couple, a visit with mother - not surprisingly also revealed to be a bit cold and distant, a trip with his son's wife, whom confesses that he is all too much like his father - three generations of chaste, distant "love".
Yet all is not lost - a trio of young friends hitch a ride. If there is anything uplifting in the film, it is the exuberance and carefree attitude they bring - especially to a lonely, old man. There is more to it than just that. One of his erstwhile travelers, Sara (Bibi Andersson) is also the Sara (Bibi Andersson again) he grew up with - and broke his heart. One of the last scenes brings everything full circle and while it may not be quite a happy ending, at least it offers some comfort.
There is so much more that can be said, but there's no need to go deeper for me. It's a powerful film from a prestigious director and one that any fan of film should watch.
Recent Comments
Alex - wrote on 08/27/09 at 04:16 PM CT
Wild Strawberries ( Smultronstället ) Review comment
did you like his other movies?
