Review of Wild Strawberries (2012) by Asif K — 31 Oct 2011

Outstanding, near faultless study of nostalgia and regret by the Swedish master Ingmar Bergman. Elderly doctor journeys from Stockholm to Lund, the location of his alma mater, in order to pick up honorary degree, meeting some likeable, and some unlikeable characters along the way, and pausing for a break at the house of his childhood. That's pretty much all that actually happens in this film, so if you're looking for plot thrills then don't bother to spend 100 minutes of your life watching this. However, if you have the appetite for a dense character study whereby you'll encounter a crotchety, egotistical buffoon at first and end up rooting for him as he finally realises what has been missing all of his life then this is for you. The dream and daydream sequences, particularly the distressingly recognisable nightmare Dr Borg (played to perfection by Victor Sjostrom in his final role; just 3 years away from his own death he lends a completely natural performance to a character who knows it's all coming to an end and there is so much that could have been different and better) has at the beginning of the film, where he dreams his own funeral in a small deserted town are captivating and visually the strongest part of the work.

A wonderful film which bears any number of repeated, regular viewings.