En Passion (The Passion, Swedish; 1969)
Director: Ingmar Bergman
As the camera rolls in, the loneliness of the protagonist is made apparent. He is only greeted with the sounds of birds, winds and nature. There are no company of people for miles around, and the weather is not so refreshing. This is the backdrop of the start of this film which, one questions the very things that all individuals ask after they have achieved a certain level in life. They lay down specific guidelines for people around them to follow, and the boundary is breached; they cannot accept it, and pandemonium is the order of the day. People around them, affected by them, who long for their companion, who look at them for guidance and love, are the direct victims of their actions. If this explanation sounds confusing, watch it yourself and draw your conclusions. Answers in life are neither black nor white; they come in shades of grey.
Andreas Winkelman (Max von Sydow, a regular in Bergman's films) is a lonely divorcee leading his own lonely life himself where his only company is solitude and sounds of nature. He does his personal things at his own snail's pace. His occasional acquaintance is bronchitic cart pulling man, Sigge, with a prior stint at the mental asylum.
On one fateful day, a visitor from his friend's (Eva and Elis) home (Anna, Liv Ullman, another regular feature in Bergman's films) comes in using his phone as the friend's line was out of order. Andreas eavesdrops on the emotional conversation where she spills her emotion to her ex-husband about money issues.
Anna leaves the house in a hurry, leaving her handbag behind. Anna had allegedly been involved in a nasty accident 3 months previously where her husband and son had perished, and she needed multiple surgeries and was walking with crutches.
The curious Andreas took the liberty to look into the handbag to discover a letter from her husband about her dogmatic attitudes, their incompatibility and separation.
Andreas' friends Eva and Elis have problems of their own. Eva is a chronic insomniac who never got over her previous miscarriage, and her marital bed has been unkindled for a mighty long time. Elis is a keen photographer who is inspired by snapping emotions. Andreas becomes his model.
On the side, the village has a spate of cruel killings and snaring of animals. Bewildered on the perpetrator's identity, the accusing hands of the villagers pointed at Sigge because of his past mental condition. Constant threat and harassment pushed him to suicide, only for the mindless killing to continue even after his demise!
How do human emotions push us to do the unthinkable?
Andreas befriends Anna. After an initial good going, both expressed insecurity and resentment towards each other. Andreas felt freedom in his solitude. Anna's deception about her spouse was uncovered- they divorced! They finally went separate ways, just as the way before.
The take-home message that I draw from here is that one should not be so egoistic in only wanting to attain self-gratification to his own content. Perhaps he should look around at all the good things he has around him and make the best available - less pain, more to gain. Well, it worked well for generations before us! Or maybe being dogmatic, steadfast in our beliefs and set in doing things in a way and insisting on others to do it may just push us off our or others' minds?
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Andreas Winkelman (Max von Sydow, a regular in Bergman's films) is a lonely divorcee leading his own lonely life himself where his only company is solitude and sounds of nature. He does his personal things at his own snail's pace. His occasional acquaintance is bronchitic cart pulling man, Sigge, with a prior stint at the mental asylum.
Anna leaves the house in a hurry, leaving her handbag behind. Anna had allegedly been involved in a nasty accident 3 months previously where her husband and son had perished, and she needed multiple surgeries and was walking with crutches.
The curious Andreas took the liberty to look into the handbag to discover a letter from her husband about her dogmatic attitudes, their incompatibility and separation.
Andreas' friends Eva and Elis have problems of their own. Eva is a chronic insomniac who never got over her previous miscarriage, and her marital bed has been unkindled for a mighty long time. Elis is a keen photographer who is inspired by snapping emotions. Andreas becomes his model.
How do human emotions push us to do the unthinkable?
Andreas befriends Anna. After an initial good going, both expressed insecurity and resentment towards each other. Andreas felt freedom in his solitude. Anna's deception about her spouse was uncovered- they divorced! They finally went separate ways, just as the way before.
The take-home message that I draw from here is that one should not be so egoistic in only wanting to attain self-gratification to his own content. Perhaps he should look around at all the good things he has around him and make the best available - less pain, more to gain. Well, it worked well for generations before us! Or maybe being dogmatic, steadfast in our beliefs and set in doing things in a way and insisting on others to do it may just push us off our or others' minds?
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