THE SILENCE (1963)

Original Title: Tystnaden

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom, Birger Malmsten, Håkan Jahnberg
Run time: 96 minutes


Two women and a boy travel into a strange land. They share the same compartment. From the initial scene we can tell that they are in tense. Are they running from something? Or are they just some tourist? So this is the last of faith trilogy after Through A Glass Darkly and Winter Light. I feel like; Mission Accomplished.

One is Ester (Ingrid Thulin), who looks tense and tortured, then there's  Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), the younger one who is more vibrant than Ester. They were together with a boy; Johan (Jorgen Lindstrom). heir destination seems strange. It looks like a European country but with no distinct language or culture that we know off. It seems like a fictive country.

They stayed in a hotel where they must face their problems. Johan cannot understood the situation, Ester is getting more tortured and Anna is living her life. I didn't know what cause the sisters to seem to have siblings issue but their conflict is the one that drives the film.

The lonely Johan finds some refuge in making 'friendship' with an old waiter while wander aimlessly at the hotel's hallways. Does the whole story is an allegory/metaphor for something else? I read from Ebert's review that Anna is Body and  Ester is Mind (the sufferer). I still don't understand what Johan is. Is he just a child or representing innocence or hope?

Just like some of Bergman's film I have seen, the face and body language get more attention. The black and white emphasize the contrasting characters between these two woman character. I still have to connect this one with the other two faith trilogy movies. Does this one still question faith? I think this one is about how we are always conflicted inside our mind after we settle into some so called permanent worldview, which in this film represented by the strange country as the destination.

I am not a philosopher but I like this one too and I think, the trilogy is amazingly satisfying. It is not heavy with pretentious dialogue or artsy fartsy stuff, but manage to deliver the messages clearly.

WINTER LIGHT (1962)

Original Title: Nattvardsgästerna

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Max von Sydow, Gunnel Lindblom
Run time: 81 minutes

After seeing Through a Glass Darkly I am intrigued to watch this one. Especially since the critics seems to praise it and I myself wanted to finish the so called trilogy of faith by Bergman. So what silence it is actually? I still have to guess it, was it the silence of God or a man? Pastor Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Bjornstrand), who seem to have some  major doubts on his faith but unable to materialize it into words. The film start and ends abruptly as Tomas makes his sunday sermon.

Tomas must face another problem, the fisherman Jonas (Von Sydow) is very sad and kill himself and then there is Marta (Ingrid Thulin) who cares and loves the pastor. But Tomas doesn't know how to respond to such feelings, he even hurt Marta verbally. Tomas seems to have difficulties in helping others based on what he believed in. He even cannot help himself psychologically. He seem powerless in changing his own fate.

What cause it to happen? It does not being explained but one can easily guessed that perhaps faith has something to do with it or perhaps Tomas is just a plain stiff man.

Although it does not being addressed directly but it seems the whole film is about questioning the existence of God in a quiet way and also about pain. Pain of being a believer just like what Marta says; “If only we could feel safe and dare show each other kindness. If only we had some truth to believe in. If only we could believe.”

The acting is very satisfying and somehow I get the feeling of coldness and tension from this film. Coldness and stiffness since it only use small number of location. It lacks the visual awesomeness of Persona (1966) but I think from the trilogy, this is the strongest one after Through A Glass Darkly.

Overall the film really lived up to my expectations. It is not being too difficult to comprehend but has a very deep meaning and I loved how this film is being made in black and white, it makes the tension looks elegant.