Review of Winter Light (1963) by Cj W — 26 Nov 2013

Winter Light is the 2nd film in Bergman's "trilogy" of films concerning his own struggle with faith and God's silence. Bergman wrote and directed this film that few films can match in its vision of how our faith works.

Also, it is one of Bergman's most boldly philosophical films. The film follows a Catholic priest, Tomas, who practices the daily routines of his faith, but is so internally worried about God's silence that it actually drives him to be physically unwell.

The narrative is actually very simple, amounting to mainly just conversations about Tomas' faith, and faith in general. The best of which occur between Marta and Tomas; the scene where Tomas reads Marta's letter is one of the most profound scenes I have ever seen.

And Bergman creates a cold and harsh atmosphere that represents Tomas' nihilistic view of the world during his struggle with God's silence. But then there is the scene where the young organ player talks to Tomas about Christ's struggle with God's silence on the cross, and if I were religious, this would honestly be the most spiritually uplifting scene I have ever seen.

This film was the film that really exposed me to Bergman's brilliance as a writer, and his unparalleled brilliance as a visual artist. It is definitely essential viewing.