1 film: Wild Strawberries
Smultronstället (English title: Wild Strawberries) (Ingmar Bergman, 1957). The aging professor Isak Borg (Victor Sjöström) takes a trip by car to an academic ceremony with his son’s wife Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) and picks up hitchhikers along the way. The old man has recurring nightmares and places he visits throw him into memories of the past and his own youth. What has happened to him, that he has become cold and uncaring, is happening to his son as well. The son Evald (Gunnar Björnstrand) is a nihilist, he says there’s no right or wrong in the world, only human needs, and this puts a strain on his marriage.
The film is filled with symbolism; the hitchhikers are a girl and two young men, a soon-to-be musician/priest (multiclass!) and a scientist/doctor. The men argue over the existence of God and seem to present two approaches to relating to women. One is hard and analytical and the other soft and emotional, and the girl of course likes them both. Helena noted that it’s not often you see a film about an old person as the main character, but it works well as his problems in life can be appreciated by any age. [9/10]
