Waste of time

Good concept, poorly executed.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Harriett Andersson really shows her range as an actress in this film from Director Ingmar Bergman, playing a young woman recently released from a mental institution, and suffering from schizophrenia. She seems so natural and effortless as she toys with her younger brother (Lars Passgård), poignant as she rues what she's done to her husband (Max von Sydow), and explosive in front of him and her father (Gunnar Björnstrand) as she breaks down. It's a fantastic performance. Those are the only four actors in the film, which is stark and minimalistic, set on an island vacation home and taking place over a single day. It's a quiet, thoughtful movie, where each scene and each shot seem like a work of art. There are frustrations all around: Björnstrand is an author who struggles to the point of despair with writing something that is good artistically, and also with ensuring he spends enough time with his family, unfortunately erring too much on the side of his writing instead. Passgård feels this acutely, yearning for his father's attention, and also having difficulty with his emerging sexual desires. von Sydow has the frustration of losing his partner, as her sanity and her affection have faded, and he knows he is powerless to help against a condition which will never improve. He continues to love her anyway. The main axes of the movie have Andersson (schizophrenic) inflicting pain on von Sydow (her husband); Björnstrand (callous and selfish) inflicting pain on Passgård (his son). It's telling that Andersson has her breaks with reality in a dilapidated old room, and then later in a ship that's wrecked along the shore as water pours in. There is a sexual element here: she denies her husband, and later suggests that this is because she must choose "one side or the other", seeming to have opted for the crazy and unreal side of her psyche, having some sort of sexual encounter in her mind in the room before he wakes up, later seducing her brother, and finally sees God as a spider intent on penetrating her. Amidst of their frustrations, the characters struggle to find meaning. As with other Bergman movies, the deeper questions about life and God are present. It's amazing that he packs this all into such a tight and lean story, with four characters over a single day. He makes use of reflections and light more effectively than anyone – watch for this throughout the movie. The opening and ending scenes are especially meaningful in light of its themes – inner reflection on one's demons, what the people around us mean to us, and whether God exists. There is no easy answer to that last one. von Sydow is cynical and Andersson has a sort of mystical faith until it's disillusioned by the spider imagery. In a beautiful scene at the end, however, Björnstrand says it may exist in the love people show for one another. At the very least, he knows that love exists, and that it helps us in our difficult, meaningless lives. Through all the darkness and difficulty, and though we cannot perceive meaning, looking as we do, "through the glass darkly", there is hope in love. Great film.

Bergman's Through a Glass Darkly is a step forward even from the brilliance of the Seventh Seal. In this, the first part of the Faith Trilogy, he contends with the question of God's existence and man's relationship with his fellow man once more. Here, though, instead of the cold, remote studies of his previous work, is a more intimate family saga.Of course, the very title of this work is a well-known quote from one of Paul's epistles that here, in this life we cannot yet see God clearly but have only dim reflections and impressions. Likewise, cinema can only give impressions of what life is about but Bergman captures the clearest image he can.The film begins with the reunion of an apparently happy family on a Swedish island. This setting symbolises that this is a microcosm of humanity, the surrounding waters representing perhaps a masculine world, whilst the girl is confined to the land. It is notable that it is only on the water that the father and the girl's husband can confront each other openly and confess their own flaws to each other.The daughter is, however, suffering from schizophrenia and, like many victims of this disease, believes she is seeing visions of God. However, it is a distorted, parody of God who is tormenting her. Like everyone else, she is seeing through a glass but hers is even more distorted than most. The notion that God is love is absent from her visions of this spider-like creature. It is only when she is sane and leans on her family for support is there any semblance of a normal, supportive Christian God hiding at the margins of her life.The father, a writer, seeks grandeur and critical acclaim but has so failed at his interpersonal relationships he has contemplated suicide. He has a fascination with his daughter's illness and is intent on recording it, to his own disgust. He has indeed thrown love away for temporal success.The play within a play is a beautiful one, though watched somewhat dismissively by the father. It is the only time the daughter creates an illusion of her own free will rather than being tormented by ones that are beyond her control.The fact that she is carried away by helicopter in the end perhaps indicates a transition to some higher realm. Her illness has taken complete hold of her but maybe she has now moved beyond the nightmarish stage having confronted the spider-like false god.The son, her younger brother, is then left to reconcile with the father and contemplate God's nature.Throughout the film, close-ups are filmed beautifully and truly capture the characters' thoughts and inner turmoil.As in all Bergman, the landscapes are filmed in a stark, austere manner, reflecting barren souls unable to clearly see God who is all around in their love for each other.Undoubtedly, this is one of the greatest films ever made. A true masterpiece by a great genius who captures his own spiritual searches on celluloid in an honest, mature manner.

Bergman is still dealing with some of the same big issues (Is there a god?, What's the meaning of art?, etc.) but now on a much more human level. The preachiness is gone, and the characters are no longer archetypes. Just human beings struggling with the difficulties of living. Phenomenal, understated performances all around, and beautiful cinematography more than compensate for occasional hints of staginess in this chamber drama with just 4 characters; a father, his son and schizophrenic daughter, and her husband who loves her in spite of her illness. All the characters are human, identifiable, occasionally ugly, and true. And somehow this led to me thinking much more deeply about my own life then the impressive, but more on-the-nose cosmic questioning of 'The Seventh Seal' or even 'Wild Strawberries'.

No doubt Bergman finest work from my point of view till date. "We draw a magic circle and shut out everything that doesn't agree with our secret games. Each time life breaks the circle, the games turn gray and ridiculous. Then we draw a new circle and build a new defense. "how his creativity come from.ONLY GOD KNOWS IF EXIST Or HE IS . Fredrik: Father, I'm scared. When I was hugging Karin in the boat, reality was revealed. Do you know what I mean? David: I do. Fredrik: Reality was revealed, and I collapsed. It's like a dream. Anything can happen. Anything. David: I know. Fredrik: I can't live in this new world. David: Yes, you can. But you must have a support. Fredrik: What kind of support? You mean a God? Give me a proof of his existence. You can't. David: I can. But you gotta pay attention to what I say. Fredrik: Yes. I need to listen. David: I can only tell you a thought of my own hopes. It is to know that love exists for real in the human world. Fredrik: A sort of special love, I suppose? David: All kinds of it. The bigger and the smaller, the most absurd one and the most sublime one. All kinds of love. Fredrik: What about the desire for love? David: Desire and denying. Trust and distrust. Fredrik: Then love is the proof? David: I don't know if love is the proof of God's existence or if it's God itself. Fredrik: To you, love and God are the same thing. David: That thought makes me feel less empty; Makes my desperation less worse. Fredrik: Go on, dad. David: All of a sudden, emptiness turns into abundance, and desperation turns into life. It's like a temporary death's sentence strike. Fredrik: Dad... if it's like how you say it is, then God is all over Karin. We love her so much. David: Yes. Fredrik: Can't that help her? David: I think so.