Autumn Sonata (1978)

Unspoken grief

The two Bergmans together? Should be interesting in the least. As it turns out, it's riveting drama. Ingrid showed her class in a way she never could in her Hollywood and Italian jobs. Ingmar Bergman challenged her to play a part here which required maturity and great skill. Ingrid matched them both. Also Liv Ullman is superb as Eva in her complex characterization. I watched this almost spellbound. The camera worked on their faces achieving a close personal voyeurism into the lives of the mother and daughter in a way that is not possible on stage. Yet this is very much like a play for the theatre. The script is  verbose but never overly so. There are also scenes when only the soft piano and facial expressions do the talking. Lena Nyman gives a heart wrenching performance as Helena, Eva's sick sister. This is absolute top drama.