Autumn Sonata (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
1978's 'Autumn Sonata' is a searing, emotionally-charged psychological drama written & directed by the great Ingmar Bergman and stars Hollywood actress/Swedish expatriate Ingrid Bergman in her 1st Swedish film in 40 years(!). Inexplicably, it was the 1st film she ever did with Ingmar and, it was the last film she did before her death from cancer. After not seeing each other for 7 years, Eva (Liv Ullmann), the reserved wife of clergyman, Viktor, invites her world renowned concert pianist mother, Charlotte Andergast (Ingrid Bergman), to her country home in Norway. They are pleased to be united, but the reunion soon proves to be an uneasy one for both women; where hushed conversations illuminate two lives of regrets & suffering.
The repressed Eva has hopes of growing closer to her mom; who is mourning the death of her best friend and, for one of the very few times in her life ... has turned to her daughter for some support. In their 1st evening together, Eva tries to impress her distant mother with her own interpretation of a Chopin's Prelude #2. She is nervous that she won't measure up to her mother's lofty standards and, in a scene of sheer acting brilliance, Eva's worst fears are realized. Charlotte subtly criticizes her; then demonstrates the correct style in a patronizing fashion -- so much internal vexation is conveyed btwn. these 2 actresses in this moment. The night is made even more tumultuous when Eva has Charlotte confront Helena (Lena Nyman), the mentally disabled daughter she had long ago abandoned to an institution {Eva has taken care of her sister as of late; providing love & care that she no longer can to her 4 yr. old who tragically drowned}.
The movie pivots into a gripping dissection of the great alienation & gross misunderstandings which have kept mother & daughter so closed-off from each other. Throughout the night, the women tear open old wounds over wine. Eva blames her mom for traumatizing Helena, for coldly ignoring her father, & for shaping her to be the unhappy, untrusting, unloving wife that she feels she is. Having felt deserted as a child while Charlotte went away on lengthy concert tours, emotionally-scarred Eva had to learn to suppress her feelings. She craved & needed mothering that she never got and, to that, is afraid to show emotions with her own husband.
Charlotte stunningly breaks down & pleads for some understanding. When SHE was a child, there was no caressing or love in her home, either. From mother to daughter, to daughter again, the pattern is unbroken. Charlotte implores Eva to release her from the guilt that has haunted her for so long -- the all-encompassing feeling that despite success as an artist, she failed as a human being. Eva's icy response elucidates the main dilemma. By blaming her mom for all her troubles & Helena's illness, Eva has intrinsically tethered herself to Charlotte more than ever; as if the 'umbilical cord had never been cut'. There is nebulous hope that this intimate 'hashing out' visit will result in more such visits & forgiveness, but vague resolutions ensue.
Ingrid Bergman is shatteringly brilliant; showing an outwardly put-together, sophisticated woman who easily transitions from initial cheer, to disquieting authoritativeness, to tears of agony, and then ultimate escape. Her Charlotte is capable of showing appreciation & love one moment, while also being downright vicious in moments of acerbic rage, as well as quiet verbiage that cuts like a knife. Ingrid Bergman was a product of that Old Hollywood style of acting that had a hint of artifice. And even though she rivets with astute thespian skills, never before until this movie had she conveyed such guttural intensity & nuance. Ingmar Bergman regular, Liv Ullmann, nearly matches Ingrid with her acting; particularly the scene in which she hysterically calls out her mother's abandonment of her in her time of great need. It is no shock that Ullmann impressed, as I believe her to be one of cinema's very best.
Bergman's script is his typically talky doom & gloom about emotional cruelty; some affectionately refer to his films as conveying the Nordic Blues. I happen to love doom & gloom dramas, though, this one is a doozy. The film is so unrelenting that I was shaken after it had concluded; that it ends on an indefinite note added to my discomfort. I think I let out an audible, exhausted "phew". Though this film - a mere 99 minutes in length - may be a tedious torture to sit through for some - as mentioned, I tend to dig these melancholy meditations on life; maybe because it makes me feel better -- dwarfing my own life's issues. As is his usual, Bergman does well to convey the potent theme of the importance of making connections in this harsh, cruel world.
The repressed Eva has hopes of growing closer to her mom; who is mourning the death of her best friend and, for one of the very few times in her life ... has turned to her daughter for some support. In their 1st evening together, Eva tries to impress her distant mother with her own interpretation of a Chopin's Prelude #2. She is nervous that she won't measure up to her mother's lofty standards and, in a scene of sheer acting brilliance, Eva's worst fears are realized. Charlotte subtly criticizes her; then demonstrates the correct style in a patronizing fashion -- so much internal vexation is conveyed btwn. these 2 actresses in this moment. The night is made even more tumultuous when Eva has Charlotte confront Helena (Lena Nyman), the mentally disabled daughter she had long ago abandoned to an institution {Eva has taken care of her sister as of late; providing love & care that she no longer can to her 4 yr. old who tragically drowned}.
The movie pivots into a gripping dissection of the great alienation & gross misunderstandings which have kept mother & daughter so closed-off from each other. Throughout the night, the women tear open old wounds over wine. Eva blames her mom for traumatizing Helena, for coldly ignoring her father, & for shaping her to be the unhappy, untrusting, unloving wife that she feels she is. Having felt deserted as a child while Charlotte went away on lengthy concert tours, emotionally-scarred Eva had to learn to suppress her feelings. She craved & needed mothering that she never got and, to that, is afraid to show emotions with her own husband.
Charlotte stunningly breaks down & pleads for some understanding. When SHE was a child, there was no caressing or love in her home, either. From mother to daughter, to daughter again, the pattern is unbroken. Charlotte implores Eva to release her from the guilt that has haunted her for so long -- the all-encompassing feeling that despite success as an artist, she failed as a human being. Eva's icy response elucidates the main dilemma. By blaming her mom for all her troubles & Helena's illness, Eva has intrinsically tethered herself to Charlotte more than ever; as if the 'umbilical cord had never been cut'. There is nebulous hope that this intimate 'hashing out' visit will result in more such visits & forgiveness, but vague resolutions ensue.
Ingrid Bergman is shatteringly brilliant; showing an outwardly put-together, sophisticated woman who easily transitions from initial cheer, to disquieting authoritativeness, to tears of agony, and then ultimate escape. Her Charlotte is capable of showing appreciation & love one moment, while also being downright vicious in moments of acerbic rage, as well as quiet verbiage that cuts like a knife. Ingrid Bergman was a product of that Old Hollywood style of acting that had a hint of artifice. And even though she rivets with astute thespian skills, never before until this movie had she conveyed such guttural intensity & nuance. Ingmar Bergman regular, Liv Ullmann, nearly matches Ingrid with her acting; particularly the scene in which she hysterically calls out her mother's abandonment of her in her time of great need. It is no shock that Ullmann impressed, as I believe her to be one of cinema's very best.
Bergman's script is his typically talky doom & gloom about emotional cruelty; some affectionately refer to his films as conveying the Nordic Blues. I happen to love doom & gloom dramas, though, this one is a doozy. The film is so unrelenting that I was shaken after it had concluded; that it ends on an indefinite note added to my discomfort. I think I let out an audible, exhausted "phew". Though this film - a mere 99 minutes in length - may be a tedious torture to sit through for some - as mentioned, I tend to dig these melancholy meditations on life; maybe because it makes me feel better -- dwarfing my own life's issues. As is his usual, Bergman does well to convey the potent theme of the importance of making connections in this harsh, cruel world.