Starring Gunn Wållgren, Jarle Kulle, Mona Malm, Ewa Fröling, Jan Malmsjö, Allan Edwall, Stina Ekblad, Lena Olin

(9-Great Film)

Beautiful. Haunting. Intimate.

It seems a weird thought that this film, one that runs over five hours, should be the legendary Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman’s, most accessible, but I think it is. One of the few major works he did in color, Bergman’s epic slowly develops into an odd ghost story in the midst of a young boy, Alexander’s, painful coming of age tale. After Alexander’s father dies, his mother remarries a bishop, who gradually reveals himself to be a sadistic bully and hypocrite. Ultimately, Alexander goes to supernatural lengths to free himself and his family from the bishop’s reach. Every single actor from the top down is of the first order, and the script, aided by its massive run time, gives each actor their moments.

-Walter Tyrone Howard-

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