The film directed by Saraband Bergman at the age of 84 shows the shadow of Bergman's personal life. The stubborn, mean, shrewd, and controlling desire of Johan, who is also 80 years old, seems to be a projection of Bergman's certain personality traits. The feelings of control and anti-control, love and hate between Henrick and Karin's father and daughter remind me of the mother and daughter in Haneke's Piano Teacher. The difference is that Karin finally broke free of his father's abnormal love, rushed out of the cage, and regained life. While Erika struggled to break free from her mother's control, she involuntarily fell into another power struggle, and eventually became a double victim of the power structure.
Anna, Bergman seems to fall in love with the woman by this name. The woman with this name always seems to be the embodiment of love. In Cries and Whispers, Anna, as a maid, uses her selfless love to maintain the family relationship that is about to collapse. In this movie, Anna's love shines on everyone like the light of God. The former Anna was treated unfairly, but Anna in this film got better results and was missed and mourned by both generations. Even Marianne, who had never met her, couldn't help but wonder: What happened to Anna? What is her walking posture? What does she look like when she laughs?
This person who is no longer here, is like the most delicate screw, nailing scattered characters and events together, so as not to separate them. It is like the stationary foot when drawing with a compass. It is the center of everything. All the characters in the movie are directly or indirectly related to her and are directly or indirectly influenced by her. Even after death, she still rules everyone in the house. This is a bit like Rebecca who never appeared in "Butterfly Dream". Bergman said in the clip that his original intention of making this film was related to the death of his last wife Ingrid. At that time, he thought to the photo of his deceased wife, I will never see Ingrid again! So he began to conceive such a movie. Coincidentally, the photos of Anna that appear frequently in the film are photos of Ingrid himself. In my opinion, this is a deliberate and meticulous arrangement by Bergman. Anna passed away, all the happiness in Johan's family was lost, the family was falling apart, and everyone felt lonely. Ingrid's death left Bergman with similar feelings. The perfect world that existed because of Ingrid, never ceased. The Sri Lankan has passed away, so what is the love.
Some people say that Bergman’s films have two main themes. One is about faith, mainly whether God exists, the meaning of God’s existence, the relationship between man and God, and so on. The second is about the communication and relationship between people. The same theme also appears in the film Saraband. The scene that impressed me most was that Marianne accidentally met Henrik in the chapel when Henrik was playing the organ. Then, under the statue of Jesus in that church, Henrik expressed his hatred of his own father and insulted the innocent Marrianne. If I remember correctly, before this episode happened, the camera scanned the icons in the church, everything seemed so holy, peaceful, and beautiful, and then Henrik's distorted face due to hatred, painful eyes, and cursed words A silent contrast is formed. I think Bergman is desperate and believes in the omnipotence of God and that people can be saved. Compared to Ericsson, who was suffering from the silence of God in "Winter Light," Henrik's suffering was even more hopeless. He has decided to sink completely.
Can Karin really leave this hazy home behind? Will she come back for the father who committed suicide? Bergman didn't tell us. I think this is exactly where he is brilliant. Exposing half is always more tempting than exposing all, Bergman mentioned in particular when he was telling the actor who played Karin. I think this is also a fascinating aspect of his work.
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