This was a well-made movie about mental illness and its effect not just on the victim but on her loved ones. The only problem I had was that the film was too short! At about 90 minutes, many of the fascinating characters are not allowed to develop--I wanted to see them as the story continued to unwind. Actually, I may be odd, but I was LEAST interested in the schizophrenic woman. Instead, the cold yet loving father who has GREAT difficulty with emotions and the husband who, at least to me, seems to be experiencing some denial (particularly when his father-in-law asked him about whether he wished his wife was dead--on SOME level, everyone in that situation MUST feel that way--his answer was evasive and I wanted to see more). The only one who really confused me was the younger brother. Did he commit incest with his sister towards the end of the movie--it seemed to be mildly implied. If so, this just didn't fit. Or, was this delusion on her part or am I just reading too much into the scene?! Regardless, its a good but difficult to watch film that left me wanting more!

Ingmar Bergman I love and admire very much, and Through a Glass Darkly is another example of a brilliant film. It may not be among Bergman's finest like The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Fanny and Alexander, Cries and Whispers and Persona, but there is much to love. The cinematography as ever from Sven Nykist looks atmospheric and beautiful at the same time and the scenery likewise. Bergman's direction is as ever accomplished, allowing us to be constantly engaged no matter how bleak the story is, and this is quite an unrelenting and I think incredibly moving story. His summer images are far from the optimistic ones we are used to, but bleaker and more searching. Considering the story though, this approach was necessary I think. The music is as ever haunting, and the film is very thought-provoking, which has always been the case actually with the written quality of Bergman's films. Of the acting, Harriet Andersson has a role that is quite impossible, but she is just outstanding in it. Max Von Sydow as ever impresses with his knowing face and commanding presence, and Gunner Bjornstrand gives a performance that requires him to be morbidly curious and helpless than his somewhat droll one in The Seventh Seal and he excels here. In a nutshell, brilliant and definitely worth watching. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is one of Bergman's efforts to wrestle with God. On a relatively deserted island, four people, a writer, his daughter and son, and her husband, try to connect and deal with their demons. The young woman played by Harriet Andersson has been treated for a mental illness (Schizophrenia?) and the diagnosis is not good. She has had shock treatments. Her father is cold but very emotional and self centered. The son has doubts about his sexuality and has an almost unhealthy attraction to his sister. He feels his father devalues him. The husband sees all this pain, but doesn't know anything to do but be there for his wife who will not be intimate with him anymore. As with most Bergman, we get to peer into the psyches of all of these people. It's not a fun place. Her illness moves to new levels as they thought it would. The father has a diary and she sees that he is interested in observing her decline. There's so much more here. One of the most poignant moments is when she "sees" God. I won't say any more, but it sort of tells us what we are dealing with. Just as Winter Light takes us through persecuted souls, this one is every bit as sad. What we need to know is whether we care about these people. Somehow, I think the answer is yes.