Wild Strawberries (1957)
The regretful trip down memory lane.
Presentation:
To be frank, I’m not a big fan of Bergman due to his presentation, but visually I love the stark monochrome imagery. The gorgeous white attire is also highly evocative and put to good use for the surreal sequences, but I’m put off by the staged performances and classical presentation. I don’t like how the film builds perspective, which feels formal and distant so I couldn’t connect with the old man. The substance is strong, but I find existential themes to work better when there is a more intimate psychological perspective to latch onto. The old man passively leads the story and I found the other characters to guide my attention instead. That being said, for a film made in the 50s, it’s pretty impressive how well done the dream sequences are.
Conclusion:
I wouldn’t say I’m a historian of cinema, but this is surely one of the better first films to pioneer the trip down memory lane. If you’re an old man with regrets or you’ve dealt with similar situations you could relate to it deeply, but I think it will be a tough sitting for younger audiences.
Recommendations
A hole where love almost begins.