Wild Strawberries

Wild Strawberries is legendary Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman's film released in 1959.

It follows the journey of an aged professor on his way to a university to receive an award for his life's work. The film stars Victor Sjostrom (himself a revered actor and director) as the stubborn Isak Borg. On the journey the professor encounters several different people and places that remind him of his youth. Not only are these links suggested in the characters/places, but the film also delves into occasional dream sequences where Isak revisits the periods as an old man.

I found the film to be very enjoyable. I've only seen The Seventh Seal and Fanny and Alexander, and smatterings of his other films, but this was definitely the most warmest and most accessible. Whereas The Seventh Seal seemed overly solemn and somewhat alienating in it's gloom, Wild Strawberries carries themes that can easily be related to. The character of Isak is at the beginning unfeeling and withdrawn from life. He even admits his problems (although he may not see these as problems) in the first lines of narration. We are then introduced to Ingrid, his sons fiancee who will accompany him on the trip. In a way, she is the foil to Isak; the prompt for Isak to reassess his way of living. She feels the rippling effects of Isak's legacy- her husband is similarly difficult to his father. On the road, they talk frankly and she admits her hate for him. This perhaps sets the scene for the transformation of Isak.

It's a surprisingly sentimental piece of work from Bergman. It wallows in the angst and beauty of youth. The dream sequences where Isak witnesses his brother and his young love kissing is tinged with melancholy and dilemma. The visions of youth are romantically painted; riverbanks, flowery meadows and picturesque, quaint houses. This seeems the right place to say the film is beautifully shot. Not only is the film framed very well, but the black and white images are shot with a notable clarity and crispness. As a modern audience, we are used to films looking prim and perfect, often soulless, but good looking nonetheless. But watching older films from the 40's and 50's I often notice that the images are murky. Not so here.

8/10