Through a Glass Darkly

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Leaburn O @RT35452347 3d One of my fave Bergman films. This is a brilliantly shot art house picture which superbly captures the confusion and fear infused in psychotic episodes. It also shows the helplessness of loved ones caught in the mire. Watched on DVD. See more Kyle M @RT77296778 Apr 26 Another mesmerizingly framed existential tale from Bergman that’s slightly complex in pondering thematic fragility whilst sympathetically meditating a psychological drama occurrence in attempted realism with performative conviction signifying the underlying depth. (B) See more Navid S. @navidshah94 Oct 29 A quiet, painful film that feels like watching someone’s soul unravel in real time. Harriet Andersson is incredible, you can see her drifting between sanity and madness with heartbreaking honesty. The setting and silence make everything feel heavy and real, like the island itself is part of her mind. The ending really stayed with me. The talk between the father and son about love being the reflection of God felt both hopeful and devastating. Bergman captures how fragile love is, yet it’s the only thing that keeps us alive. See more Wayne K @WayneKelso 08/10/2024 Through A Glass Darkly is the 3rd Ingmar Bergman film I’ve watched, after Persona & Hour Of The Wolf. The former I really enjoyed, but the latter left me cold. TAGD falls somewhere in the middle. It’s portrayal of schizophrenia, still largely misunderstood by the everyday person back in the 60s, is admirably underplayed. There are very few big dramatic scenes, only a single screaming tirade and limited fancy camerawork used to depict a fragile mind. We mostly discover Karin’s condition through her descriptions of it, and the opinions and views of her close family. It’s easy to see why some still think of schizophrenia as a split personality disorder, as the character does often swing between 2 opposing frames of mind or inclinations. One minute she wants to go swimming, the next she’s simply content to wander round and do nothing. The film’s extremely pared back approach can strain your patience at times. Long moments of silence, extended pauses in conversation, characters having laborious discussions about the same few topics. Don’t make the mistake I did of watching before going to bed because I could feel myself drifting off on the sofa a while before the credits had even begun. It’s a complex and challenging piece of work, one where you have to listen to everything that’s said and pay attention to all the subtle nuances. By the end you feel as drained as the characters do, but there’s little doubt that you’ve just watched a psychologically profound piece of work. If the pace were improved and some of the conversations were tightened, I would have liked it more. As is, I enjoyed what it did, I just didn’t connect with it as much as I’d hoped to. See more A R @RT95300488 02/17/2024 This movie is so strange but it feels realistic and believable the whole time. It's a classic Bergman investigation of our relationships with religion, but the human relationships between the characters are what shine through for me. The dialogue is beautiful and somewhat melodramatic, but the performances make it feel real all the same. I particularly love the scene with the husband and father on the boat - they are saying incredibly serious and intense things, with very dramatic language, but their performances keep it grounded and human. All of the actors give incredible performances, really listening in every scene and embodying a very character-driven physicality that gives them so much personality. I just love it. See more Luca D @JoeCamel7 12/21/2023 The ending was very satisfying. Everything about this movie is great. Bergmans films seem very existential so maybe not something I would recommend to someone going through hard times, though the ending offers more a optimistic outlook than other counterparts. Kind of reminds me of The Lighthouse, maybe this was an inspiration for that movie? Just me? See more Read all reviews

Through a Glass Darkly

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