Starting in 1961, prolific Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman made a trilogy of sorts through which he delves into his own personal crisis of faith. Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Winter Light (1963) and The Silence (1963) all deal with the presence and/or absence of God.
The three films are not a trilogy in that they tell one continuous story with the same characters. However, they are all intrinsically connected to each other via their small number of characters (a who's who of Bergman's favorite actors and actresses), sparse sets, stark cinematography and poetic language. Thematically, each film builds on Bergman's exploration into the question of God's influence on human life (or lack thereof).
The films do stand alone quite well. They are all essential for any art-house/foreign film fan. As a trilogy, however, the three films work together to form a complete journey to find what may not even be there.
Through a Glass Darkly (Sasom i en spegel)
The first in the trilogy is perhaps the most accessible. It is a family drama about father David (Gunnar Bjornstrand), daughter Karin (Harriet Andersson), son Minus (Lars Passgard) and son-in-law Martin (Max Von Sydow). David is an author, struggling to find critical acceptance despite popular success. Karin suffers from mental illness, essentially the real world and a fantasy world playing tug-of-war with her mind. Her husband seems resigned to accept the incurability of her disease. Minus is also a writer, who is desperate for his father's attention and affection. The film takes place on the bleak island of Faro (the setting for many of Bergman's films as well as his future home).
TAGD is probably the weakest in the trilogy (not to say it's a bad movie--far from it!). The film is about conquering certainty (according to Bergman himself) and the general idea behind the film is that certainty can be as crushing as uncertainty. Karin's condition spirals out of control when she finds out there is no cure. David tries to fight his own professional dissatisfaction by using his daughter as a subject for his next book. But what is he really gaining and losing? Minus, being the youngest, seems to be the one most able to eventually break free from his familial prison. This is a family that just needs to reach out to each other--and yet they are ironically unable to do just that.
Bergman's first color film wouldn't be until 1964's All These Women but TAGD is one of his best uses of black-and-white cinematography. The film looks bleak and crushing; the island of Faro is no paradise with its rocky beaches, cloudy skies and troubled waters. It's almost useless to talk about performances in a Bergman film (he is an actor's director, after all) but Harriet Andersson as Karin is a powerhouse performance. Even if you find the rest of the movie boring, her "episodes" are riveting, almost horrifying, to watch. Bjornstrand and Von Sydow are also amazing while Passgard is interesting but a little lacking. Overall, the movie is an excellent drama that whets the appetite for the next two films in the trilogy.
Winter Light (Nattvardsgasterna, which translates to The Communicants)
Winter Light is such a cold and distant film yet it surprisingly human. Pastor Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Bjornstrand) finishes his noon service to en empty church save for about 7 people. Afterwards, a fisherman Jonas (Max Von Sydow) and his wife Karin (Gunnel Lindbloom) come to see him for advice. Jonas has become depressed after hearing that China is developing a nuclear bomb. Unfortunately, Tomas is going through his own crisis: he is tortured by his own growing doubt about God. His mistress Marta (the spectacular Ingrid Thulin) tries to comfort him but, alas, Tomas seems hopeless.
The film is shot in claustrophobic close-ups for the most part. We really get to look at these characters during their difficult times. Yes, this is a movie about despair and longing, it's about an empty search for answers. The story is set in Winter, which is a nice metaphor for the coldness between the characters as well as the coldness they feel from God. This movie is about the frustration people feel when God does not answer them. Just as Tomas reaches out for God, both jonas and Marta reach out to Tomas and he is as silent and unhelpful as ever.
In fact, the film sets up a brilliant metaphor with the Marta-Tomas story. Tomas is to Marta what God is to Tomas: a cold, unforgiving, unloving brick wall. Gunnar Bjornstrand may play the protaognist but this is really Ingrid Thulin's movie. Ingmar Bergman writes such beautiful dialogue for her and the film is a testament to her incredible talent (especially in the much-praised letter scene--watch it here!). many of the film's sequences are full of brutal honesty and
scrutinizing cinematography. Winter Light, one of Bergman's favorites of his films, is a tough but ultimately rewarding watch.
The Silence (Tystnaden)
And, finally, we have the third installment in the trilogy and my favorite. Sisters Ester (Ingrid Thulin) and Anna (Gunnel Lindbloom) are traveling with Anna's son Johann (Jorgen Lindstrom) in a foreign land. Ester is suffering from an unnamed, incurable disease so they have to stop and stay in a hotel in a city that's preparing for a war. They don't speak the language, which isolates them in the strange town. Ester drinks and falls victim to her disease several times; Anna goes out and has empty sexual experiences with a stranger (Birger Malmstem). Johann explores the hotel with a childish curiosity.
With a title like The Silence, it is easy to assume that this movie is about God's silence but that was Winter Light's theme. The Silence is about the complete absence of any higher authority. Without any direction, Ester and Anna are left to act out their vices and jealousies. They are sisters but they represent two opposite sides of humanity. The sensual Anna represents the body, the pursuit of carnal pleasures. Ester is the intellectual, analytical side of the human race. Johann represents innocence and he is stuck between the two women. Ester's disease grimly foreshadows the fate of humanity--are we to abandon any sense of rationality? One could even interpret this movie as a horror film (much like Through a Glass Darkly); its silences drive the viewer mad and the images are haunting. The movie isn't "scary" on a visceral level like The Shining or Nightmare on Elm Street. It's an intellectualized horror film, meaning that its statements about culture and humanity are unsettling.
Bergman allows for little detail about the sisters' back-story and therein lies his masterstroke. In a film that is mainly about miscommunication/lack of communication, even we the audience are denied any communication from our director. Ingrid Thulin is a fantastic actress and I think she is my favorite of Bergman's leading ladies. Gunnel Lindbloom is also remarkable in her role. I don't know if Jorgen Lindstrom ever made it as an adult but he is good here. The Silence is one of Bergman's most puzzling films but one that is wonderfully open to interpretation.
I highly recommend Ingmar Bergman's Trilogy of Faith. They're a tough group of films to watch but, in the end, they are rather rewarding or, at least, fascinating. Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence are beautifully made, with expert performances and some interesting insights about God and humanity.
