Review of Winter Light (1963) by Wut S — 22 Apr 2008

Never have I seen a movie portraying such a heavy life crisis. A pastor, deeply tormented by his wife's death, decided to preach of God's compassion, but spiritually desperate himself due to God's silence. Years of empty prayers torn his Faith asunder. Existence was never more encumbering, exigency of death never more tempting.

To Tomas, Faith becomes a lost sanctuary, a self-inflicting stupidity when mournfulness and weakness overwhelm life. With pastor's disciplinary routine horrifically revealed as escapism, suicidal thoughts can no longer be repressed, emptiness and powerlessness become all too prominent, unbearable. Where does one turn to? How could one regain spiritual sanity?

Winter Light is undoubtedly very personal to Bergman for it directly connects with his background. Religious sentiments greatly affected Bergman's life, philosophy, and inevitably, his works. But this personal piece of Bergman also touches us on an intimate level, since we all share the concept of faith. Whether in God, in family, in humanity, or in ourselves, faith provides defense, sanctuary, spiritual energy, and most importantly, room for optimism, an essence of happy life.

The film is very impressive in the way severe cynicism, portrayed through Tomas, Marta, and Jonas, met dead end where one must escape life through death or adopt for change to overcome. Change is harder than death for many--through this film, Bergman is reaching out to all, encouraging contemplation, self-reflection, and awareness of shortcomings. Confronting denial and hypocrisy is vital.

Jonas' end could be blamed on Tomas' hypocrisy as a preacher; however, his death served as an awakening, a great healing for Tomas. It's genius how Tomas, a weakling, a monster, a mortal is being compared to Christ; through traditional symbols of windows' crossing lines, through camera angles, luma, through Martha's atheistic faith and obsession in Tomas, through Algot the hunchback's commentary on Passion which draws a relation between Christ's suffering with Tomas. Only when Tomas confronts his tribulations, then he could love, and live, again. How Martha gives/forces herself to Tomas is a metaphor to how Tomas clings to God: love duals as selfish needs that deserves nothing but cold silence. Lover and hater. Giver and taker. Saviour and tormentor. An idealized god, concept or being are both productive and obstructive. It's the the disciple's outlook and circumstance that determine whether faith would be a positive or negative force.