Review of Wild Strawberries (2012) by John M — 07 Apr 2012

An old man's reflection. This is the story of an elderly professor who, through his travels, dreams and memories, looks back upon how he became the curmudgeon he is today. Honestly, I don't usually go for the slow art films, as I find them difficult to get into and inaccessible much of the time.

That said, I still possess the ability to appreciate them. Wild Strawberries has intelligent and well thought out cinematography, and if there's one overwhelming positive to be walked away with, it's that this is worth watching for the sheer craft of it.

There's always a lot going on, from the visuals to the conversational topics, and that's in spite of this not the fastest paced of films. I wouldn't say you have to be patient with it, but if you're going to watch this and have already grown accustomed to the modern sense of structure and flow in movies, you should see this when you're in the mood for something quieter.

I flat out loved the way that Bergman crafted the dream sequences in this; they have this eerie atmosphere about them that feel almost like a precursor to David Lynch. This isn't one that I'll be hankering to revisit anytime soon, but I am certainly glad that I watched it.