If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The 24th feature film directed by Swedish film legend Ingmar Bergman, "Winter Light" stars some of Bergman's favourite actors, including Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Max von Sydow and Allan Edwall. With amazing, masterful cinematography by Sven Nykvist, the movie was shot partly in Dalarna, Sweden. Depicting the loss of faith of small town priest, "Winter Light" is, as most of Bergman's films, full of impressively well-written dialogue and great acting.

***SPOILERS*** One of Ingmar Beregman's most depressing films has everyone in it on the brink of doing themselves in and in one case fisherman Jonas Persson, Max von Sydow, does. The movie has to do in a day in the life of Lutheran Pastor Thomas Ericsson, Gunnar Bjornstrand, who's just about had it with the church whom he feels after all these years of being part of it let him and the world at large down. This all started some 25 years ago when he was involved-preaching for peace-in the Spanish Civil War and witnessed the horrors in it. Now in 1962 he's confronted with a gaunt and suicidal looking Jonas who's terrified that the Communist Chines well soon detonate-they did in 1964- an atomic bomb that will lead to WWIII.After giving Jonas his usual BS story about love and peace, that he in fact doesn't at all believe in, being the way to go the poor man leaves his chapel and on his way home sits down by a tree and blows his brains out. This is nothing compared to what Thomas is later confronted with in middle age spinster & substitute teacher Marta Lundberg, Ingrid Thulin, who was hiding behind the curtains who shows up and gives him this long and boring story about how much she loves the guy and wants him to marry her, in a letter she mailed him, before he himself who's in danger of contracting pneumonia kicks off.It's here in regard to the sobbing Marta that Thomas, who looked like he had already one foot in the grave, suddenly comes alive and lets all his feeling about God and Marta as well as the world situation come to the surface. In that the man of God doesn't believe in anything good anymore and just wants to start a new life as a carpenter or druggist in town and forget all that he was thought in divinity school that he now feel was total BS. Marta for her part instead of getting more depressed sees that the man she's in love with and wants his support is in fact far more screwed up in the head then she ever was or even possibly will be.***SPOILERS*** The by now totally out of it Thomas after letting it all out in the wash now goes back to give his speech to those assembled in his church, about a half dozen, about the glory of God and how the entire world is filled with it. Which earlier he had totally rejected as a by now understanding Marta realizes just how off the wall he is being one of the few listening in on his sermon. The world is what we not God makes it which is why we were given free will to do good or bad without his-God's-interference or influence in our actions. Strak black & white photography as well as bleak wintry scenery makes this Bergman film far more depressing then it really is. After seeing it you feel that there's no hope for the world and mankind. But it's Thomas suddenly realizing that's the way it's supposed to be in order to overcome one's depressions, like it seemed that Marta did, that it makes life worth both living as well as suffering through it.

This is exactly why Ingmar Bergman is so highly regarded. Even in his lighter portions with the 80 minute, half dozen characters, half a day time frame bleak masterpiece Winter Light, he can create such a rich and thought-provoking portrait of life with a universal problem - God's silence. Faith is always a vocal point of discussion in the films of Bergman and this is one of his most fascinating under the microscope studies. It focuses on the theme of the sense of abandonment we get from deep losses, and while many suffer from a deliberating sense of paralysis, it suggests with comparisons to Jesus Christ's final struggles that those feelings lead to the ultimate sense of purpose in life. Instead of being a depressing theory to match the film's anguished tone and network of characters, of which are remarkably performed by Bergman's regular company, it's an idea quite reassuring.Winter Light has a naturally limited plot, being mostly formed out of dialogue and monologues, but Bergman's structure and economy still shine through. It's cinematic and intimate enough to not feel as though that it instead belongs on a stage. The narrative hinges on the idea of a priest's existential crisis causing one of his most distressed flock to commit suicide, but that setup and payoff is powerful enough to not need anymore besides the small backstories and dramas of the priest's life. While the unexpectedly muted reaction dulls the film somewhat, its subsequent reflection and sense of life going on elevates it even higher. It's a testament to Bergman's elegant grace in simplicity behind the lens. But that's what's so palpable about his films that Winter Light boasts most of all in its poetic imagery, it has a soft and relatable atmosphere that's simultaneously ethereal and painful, oozing intense emotion in a single frame. This is a thoroughly profound film to cherish for the darkest of times.9/10

As usual, 'Nattvardsgästerna' (aka 'Winter Light') is your typical Ingmar Bergman film. Slow, monotonous and dialogue-heavy to a fault, yet rewarding for the patient (or, better yet, the VERY patient) viewer by means of its highly intelligent, even thought-provoking discussions it creates.I'm no fan of Bergman, that is to be said. He is a bit TOO slow and dull, to the point I usually watch his films on fast forward. And the 'reward', while good, rarely is worthy of sitting through over an hour of intense monotony.Yet, when tackling religious themes, I find Bergman to be much more bearable. This, 'Det sjunde inseglet' (aka 'The Seventh Seal') and 'Jungfrukällan' ('The Virgin Spring') are the only ones I've seen yet that were truly remarkable. His main characters are religious, yet face belief-shattering situations that make them question; he questions religion, yet never flat-out attacks or dismisses it but leaves it in a way the viewer is to decide. Just like his own struggle with faith in real life.In here, he does so by means of a priest (Gunnar Björnstrand) who is losing his faith. His confrontation with a depressed farmer (Max von Sydow), who tries to turn to the faith to quench his worries, as well as his romance with an atheist teacher (Ingrid Thulin) pave way for his increasing doubts. The ending dialogue with the church's sexton, in special, is brilliant and one of my favorite moments.The acting is great all-around. Not only do they rend their speeches (both dialogue and monologues) impeccably, they all convey the seriousness and the grim mood of their characters and situations. The fact they manage to keep things slow and monotonous (i.e..: no one goes out of their way to steal the show, or overact) is proof of their success.If one can get past the boredom of his films, Ingmar Bergman was undoubtedly a great director. But that is exactly the problem: cinema is supposed, first of all, to be a means of entertainment. How can you entertain with such a slow, monotone film? Even if you are trying to relay a message, to generate a thought-provoking reflection, how are you supposed to reach for the casual viewer, how are you supposed to make a wider audience interested in your work? This is a problem Bergman, as well as most 'art' directors, have always ignored.While good, and far more entertaining than Bergman's usual, 'Nattvardsgästerna' still suffers from the same faults as his entire filmography. Still, being both bearable and rewarding, this is one of his best.