Review of Bergman Island (2021) by Everett — 01 May 2022

Great reviews sometimes set up expectations that can't possibly be met. Which is why I didn't give this film an even lower score. The characters are shallow and many of the situations trite; no depth here, just a lot of moping by extremely privileged characters feeling sorry for themselves.

I liked not one of them, even though I really wanted to. I wanted so much to care, wishing it would spark with something that felt fresh or real or insightful - which never came ... I was hoping that at least the film might rip off the Bergman mask of pretentiousness, and really make a statement about overblown icons, but it never did.

Some humor, even, would've helped; the whole Bergman Island setting begged for it! But no, like Bergman it had to be very serious, and wound up being very pretentious itself.