Wild Strawberries

Sometimes I wish I could give a film a 5.0. For the ones that seem head over heels better than films that are really very good and usually rate a 3.5 on my scale. This film is about...well, it's about death. And guilt, and choices made in life, and emotions, and family. I'm guessing most Ingmar Bergman films are like this. I was completely entranced. Even with these heavy-duty themes, I never noticed the time passing. The film is a study in contrasts -- death vs. life, young vs. old, caring vs. cold as ice, guilt-ridden vs. free to do whatever you want. An old man travels with his daughter-in-law from his hometown to be honored in a special ceremony for his lifetime achievements. Everything is a symbol: the journey itself, the discussions with his daughter-in-law, the people they meet along the way. So, why wasn't I bored? There aren't many jump cuts or strange camera angles or other types of camera techniques, but I felt compelete empathy with this normal man reviewing his life towards its end. What could be more universal than this type of reflection? And I appreciate the plain, clear film direction. I kept worrying that something surreal would happen that would jolt me out of the film's reality, but this never happens. (For instance, when he's standing above the baby carriage, I wondered whether he would tumble headlong into it, like the coffin scene in Brazil! I'm my own enemy, sometimes.) I can't imagine a filmmaker who hasn't seen this film dozens of time, in order to pick it apart to discover its genius. Because I'm sure that if I saw it five more times I still would only have scratched its surface. To complete the package, Criterion has released it on DVD in GBW (glorious black and white) and although the film is nearly 50 years old, it looks like it was made yesterday.

original title: Smultronstället
year: 1957
length: 91 min.
rating: 4.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050986/combined