Cries and Whispers

"Cries and Whispers"
Starring: Harriet Andersson, Kari Sylwan, Ingrid Thulin, Liv Ullmann
Grade: B+

Cries and Whispers is a haunting yet life-affirming entry by Bergman. It tells the story of 3 sisters, one of whom is very ill and is near death. As the picture starts, we aren't sure of their personal proximity and closeness, only that Agnes lay in almost unbearable pain.

The film focuses on the oppressed anxieties, feelings, and regrets of the sisters and their made Anna. Bergman weaves us through past vignettes of each sister as we get some view of their past and how it has shaped them up until the present moment. The present moment is certainly bleak, Agnes shrieks in pain, a doctor visits and informs the sisters she doesn't have much time left.

The beauty of this work by Bergman is how he juggles the themes effortlessly. Cries and Whispers isn't a pleasant watch in the least bit, but every passing minute is treated with grace and intimacy by Bergman. His color palette is ever present, especially the color red which entrenches the fade outs and color scheme of the sisters estate.

Bergman's ability to analyze and bring to the surface the past episodes of these women is what makes the film extra rich. The acting is all extraordinary, each women has her own identifiable way of hiding and revealing themselves, this is what makes Cries and Whispers devastatingly real and palpable.