Review of Wild Strawberries (2012) by Ryan M — 16 Oct 2009

Victor Sjostrom's final screen appearance is a truly memorable one: He plays Isak Borg, who on a journey to collect an honourary award, begins to reflect upon his own life, his fears, how cold he has treated the ones he love, deconstructing the exact moments in his life which have turned him into the man he is today.

It's a pretty simple story, similar to Kurosawa's "Ikiru", but without the sentiment. It's elevated by the wonderful performance of Sjostrom, along with good supporting performances from Bergman regulars such as Thulin, Bib Andersson, and two cameos from Max von Sydow and Gunnar Bjornstrand.

For people new to Bergman, it's probably the best starting place, because we all at some point examine our own mortality, and we can all relate to feeling guilt for not showing the people we love how we truly feel.

The Seventh Seal might be his most famous work, but this is arguably his most uplifting.