Ingmar Bergman, why haven't I given up on you yet? Your works are prized in intellectual circles, but I've seen plenty by now and even my favorite feels hit and miss to me. I knew going into this that my chance of enjoying the viewing, or even feeling that I didn't waste my time, was less than 50%. Still, if I had to try it, immediately after two uplifting features was the right time.
Like in Autumn Sonata, the focus is on the interactions among mostly related women, with only occasional male input and very little plot progression. Basically everything happens inside the mansion where three sisters grew up, to which they have returned because one of them, Agnes (Harriet Andersson), has uterine cancer, in an era when not much could be done about it. Maid Anna (Kari Sylwan) can't be the only caretaker anymore. As they wait for the dying to end, Maria (Liv Ullmann) and Karin (Ingrid Thulin) also reminisce.
The best part to my mind is Andersson's acting. Chronic pain isn't pretty, but hers is convincing. It might just make her the most relatable character even to viewers who have never known that much physical anguish.
Of course, that's partly because I have issues with other characters. Maria used to cheat on her husband (Henning Moritzen) with Agnes' current doctor (Erland Josephson) and now has a more indifferent air. Karin, who has a worse husband (Georg Årlin), is far colder and sometimes self-destructive, resenting Maria's overtures of affection. Their mother was reportedly unfair to Agnes. And Anna's method of comforting Agnes seems oddly homoerotic. (We do see private parts at one point, but there's nothing erotic in that context.)
Perhaps the most distinctive thing about the film is the color scheme. The rooms are dominated by bright red with some white highlights, including, often, the women's white gowns. Without looking up analyses, I came up with a possible meaning: innocence in an oppressive world. The next most common colors are gray and black, which suit Bergman.
Things get a bit weird near the end -- not Persona bizarre, but you have to understand it as some sort of apparently shared dream sequence. I'd mind less if something like it had started early on. Otherwise, the fancy cinematography is pretty good.
The most irritating aspect: the titular noises. I put up with a lot of cries when they're due and not histrionic, but whispers that are hard to make out (and aren't subtitled) can sure rub me the wrong way, especially when there isn't a compelling reason for the speaker to stay quiet.
From now on, I am going to think before taking another Bergman look. It had better sound significantly different from anything else of his that I've seen.
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