Review of Wild Strawberries (1957) by Joshua B — 30 Dec 2011

As of this review, I must shamefully admit that Wild Strawberries is still the only Bergman film I've seen. Yet the way it has stuck with me is a testament to Bergman's intimate understanding of the human psyche: fear, desire, regret, loss, cynicism.

Bergman managed to coax legendary silent film director, Victor Sjostrom, out of retirement to star as Isak Borg, an aging professor who is traveling to receive an honourary degree. His performance is poweful, and much of the impact of the film's meditation on loss and mortality comes from the metanarrative similarities between Borg, Sjostrom, and Bergman himself.

The story is structured as an early road movie, in which Borg recounts memories of the past during his trip, meeting people along the way who remind him of others he once knew. While Bergman's masterful use of symbolism is a subject that could fill a graduate thesis, and is too much to explore in this short review, it is sufficient to state it is in prime form here, and much of the joy of watching the film comes from seeing the ways Bergman weaves symbolism with narrative.

Ultimately, Wild Strawberries is a humanist piece that suggests it is our relationships with people, rather than our accomplishments, that will come to define us in our final hour. Surprisingly uplifting in the end, this is a film worth visiting again and again.