Cries and Whispers Movie Review

This 1972 feature by Ingmar Bergman follows the chill, tangled relationship between three sisters: Agnes (Harriett Anderson), Karin (Ingrid Thulin), and Marie (Liv Ullmann). The three have reunited in the manor they grew up in, but the circumstances are grim: Agnes is dying, and her slow decline exposes the long-hidden feelings of guilt and jealousy among them. Flashbacks reveal how intimidated Agnes felt by her mother (also played by Ullmann), Marie’s self-destructive attempts to seduce the family doctor, and Karin’s self-laceration within her loveless marriage.

The mood here is a mix of solemnity and sensuality — the sisters’ relationships are by turns abusive, loving, and tormented — but Bergman’s emphasis on deep reds and blacks throughout emphasizes the split between Marie and Karin much too formally. Moreover, the hushed, interior tone fails to generate much drama, and the tension never explodes as it does in a much better Bergman '70s drama, Autumn Sonata. But it has the benefit of some tremendous performances, particularly from Ullmann and Kari Sylwan, who plays the family’s indomitable caretaker, Anna. And Sven Nykvist’s cinematography, particularly in the exterior shots, have a pastoral, painterly grace.

Aka Viskningar och rop.