From sisters to interpersonal relationships - alienation, hypocrisy, pain in relationships; reconstruction and deconstruction of relationships.
Shouting and Whispering (9.3/10). Bergman's lens art is brought into full play, with delicate and meticulous lens language and the stage of female group portraits.
The "shouting" and "whispering" of the title are rather abstract things to understand. Although Cries is not equivalent to "shouting", it is indeed appropriate for the content of the film. Everyone revealed their inner cries and whispers, and finally fell silent.
Colors: Steady red and white, supplemented by black, run through character relationships, life and death, past and memories. At the beginning, the part of the staff inscribed with white characters on a red background echoes the crisp sound of hitting a goblet. This is a film about sound and red and white.
The three sisters have different personalities: Agnes, the eldest, who is seriously ill, is a female figure who has been alienated, sad and painful since childhood: her mother gave her a sad look, and she remembers her longing for intimacy until she died. The second sister, Krin, is shrewd and capable. In her repressed relationship with her husband, she provokes herself in the form of contempt and self-abuse. The third sister, Maria, has been cared for since she was a child. Be exposed. On the other hand, the maid Anna, who is an outsider, is close, the Virgin who will always love and accompany Agnes (the composition of P7 pays tribute to the Pieta).
I realized that Bergman's cut-out of flashbacks reminded me of Kunihiko Ikuhara. The intricate but orderly recollections of different characters are handed over, revealing the past and reality of the three sisters. Not only that, but the reminiscence section also has distinct features: close-ups of the main characters in each recollection (here the light and shadow divide the faces of the characters into extreme light and shade is also worthy of attention), the recollection ends with a fade-in/fade-out full red curtain, back to red ; Red is the main tone of the film.
The recurring touches represent the building of relationships throughout the film. However, the form of reconciliation could not stand up to the scrutiny of sincerity. The sister relationship did not go as expected, just like Agnes' reconciliation, and finally returned to alienation and indifference. The most classic part is the outbreak of Karin's hatred for Maina, which was eliminated with a touching shot. The construction of relationships. There is no language here either, only Bach's unaccompanied cello, which is more than enough for the silent to be better than the sound (in this case, language).
Agnes' death is in the middle of the film, showing symmetry. Her death was also the catalyst for the outbreak of the relationship between the other two sisters, and the latter half of the film focuses on portraying the two women. Then her resurrection once again revealed the depths of their souls - unreality, indifference and rejection.
After the funeral, the families are separated, and the once-established intimate relationship is deconstructed again. At the end of the film, as Anna opens the old master's diary, she returns to her past memories - on September 3, the three sisters gathered together for a walk and swing, as if returning to the old days. Agnes is happy at the moment. At the end of the film, the hatred and the longing love are finally reconciled.
View more about Cries & Whispers reviews
