Through a Glass Darkly

A family tears itself apart on a remote island, while the daughter Karin (Harriet Andersson) descends into madness. Her father, a cold, distant novelist (Gunnar Bjornstrandt), her brother, a boy alienated from women (Lars Passgard) and her agonized husband (Max von Sydow), prove helpless to do more than observe Karin during her disintegration.

This is the first part of a trilogy - the other two are Winter Light and The Silence - in which Bergman demonstrates his Lutheran past through a meditation on the existence and meaning of God. The legendary sequence with the half-crazy Karin being terrified by a spider because she believes it is God, represents Bergman at his most blasphemous. However, it is from such scenes where the film's weaknesses are derived. The exaggerated acting of Harriet Andersson in certain moments transcends the subtle line of full dramatic effect and enters the territory of parody.

The cinematography, as one would expect from the distinguished Sven Nykvist, is superb, matching perfectly the emotional isolation of the characters with the coldness of the landscape. Despite flaws in the acting, Bergman's attempt to build the four characters to their full potential is admirable and deserves a sympathetic audience.

Review by Spiros Gangas
Taken from EUFS Programme 1993=94