by Daniel White
After sitting through the embarrassment that is The Children's Hour, I was in desperate need of cleansing the bitter taste left in my cinematic palate. Ingmar Bergman's intelligent, thought-provoking Autumn Sonata (1978) not only washed away the inanity of that aforementioned piece of tripe, it reintroduced me to the power of filmmaking. Plus, doesn't everything sound much more profound in Swedish?
You know what else it made me revisit? The talented, brave, luminous Ingrid Bergman. Placing 4th on AFI'S list of the greatest film actresses of all time, Miss Bergman transcends that silly compilation. 4th, 40th, or 400th, who the fuck cares. Ingrid Bergman is fabulous. Did I mention brave? Playing Charlotte, a self-absorbed concert pianist who chose career over motherhood, Bergman tackles difficult issues on screen that she struggled with in her personal life. Alongside the extraordinary Liv Ullman, the legendary director has created a brilliant composition for two. With insightful, often painful dialogue, Bergman tells a searing tale that refuses to be tidied up with a neat resolution.
Charlotte is visiting her daughter, Eva (Ullman), after a seven-year separation. What starts out as a pleasant mother/daughter tete-a-tete, soon descends into a harangue of accusations and feeble attempts at self-defense. Lena Nyman, an actress I am unfamiliar with, disturbingly enacts second daughter, Helena. Suffering from a debilitating illness that affects her speech and movement, her disabilities are almost too agonizing to view. I found myself resenting Ingmar Bergman for subjecting me to this excruciating performance.
Yes, I often want movie-watching to be lightweight and unchallenging. Thank you Bergman's, Ingmar and Ingrid, Liv Ullman, Lena Nyman, and everyone else involved in the making of this troubling film for refusing to acquiesce to my desire for comfort and banality. With Halvar Bjork as Eva's patient, loving husband, Autumn Sonata is currently available on YouTube.
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