Review of Winter Light (1963) by Chris W — 01 Jul 2007

Winter Light is a very important film in the history of faith films. Bergman, who was known for thinking through God, does much of that in this film. Like The Seventh Seal, Bergman deals with the silence of God and questions his existence through the main character. While some Christians find these question unsettling and unecessary, I find them to be completely relevant and important. Any Christian who denies ever having times in their lives when it seemed God was silent is lying to themselves. Even Noah experienced God's silence for years while floating on the ark. Winter Light gives viewers a look into the time of Tomas' life when he is experiencing God's silence.

Visually, this film is excellent. Also, tone-wise this film is brilliant. The tone and the visuals match Tomas' feelings perfectly. Björnstrand gives a great performance as the struggling priest - one that is very believable. All in all this film has few flaws and I look forward to the next time I get to watch this. If you are a Bergman fan, especially a fan of his faith films, see this as soon as possible.