Film: Wild Strawberries
Release date: 25th February 2002
Certificate: 15
Running time: 88 mins
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Victor Sjöström, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Jullan Kindahl
Genre: Drama
Studio: Tartan
Format: DVD
Country: Sweden
Somewhere in the midst of dreams and reality, connecting past memories to the present, bitterness with regret and emotional detachment to nostalgia, Ingmar Bergman delivers one of the most introspective films on man’s existence and what it means to have truly lived. It’s no wonder, then, that Wild Strawberries won the Golden Bear Award for Best Film at the 1958 Berlin Film Festival.
Professor Isak Borg – played flawlessly by Silent Film director Victor Sjostrom – is a 78-year-old physician set to receive an honorary doctorate from Lund University. In his old age, he’s chosen to isolate himself from social contact, and lives a perfectly content life engrossed by scientific study.
On the morning of his special day, though, the widower has a profound dream in which he finds himself in an unfamiliar part of Stockholm where none of the clocks have minute hands. He sees a hearse approaching ominously, and as the carriage passes by it gets caught on a lamp post leading to the coffin falling out of the back. The professor edges closer cautiously, and to his horror, an outstretched hand tries to pull him inside.
After this episode, Borg changes his housekeepers’ meticulous plans, and decides to drive to Lund himself via a visit to his mother. His estranged daughter-in-law, Marianne (Ingrid Thulin), who was residing with him throughout marital problems, chooses to accompany the professor on his journey so that she can return to her husband and reconcile their marriage.
During the ride, Marianne reveals to Borg that despite his external charm, the people closest to him recognise his manipulative and selfish character to the extent that his own son despises him. Thus in a bid to build a rapport with his daughter-in-law, Borg veers off-course to show Marianne where he used to spend his childhood summers.
Unexpectedly for the ageing Professor, though, the break awakens a sense of reminiscence from deep within, and he begins to have flashbacks of his first love Sara. Subsequently on his journey to Lund, Borg meets a number of hitchhikers such as young frivolous Agda and a middle-aged bickering couple, who all contribute to him re-evaluating his life...
Essentially, Wild Strawberries is a straightforward road movie, however, Bergman’s use of symbolism, flashbacks and some fine nuanced acting, particularly by Sjostrom, give the film enough depth to transcend its genre and provide an emotional hook for the viewer.
In the film’s opening scene, Borg is established as the archetypal lonely, cold and successful man by being introduced with markers of his lavish life, such as the grand house, an honorary degree, and his selfish actions towards the housekeeper. As the film progresses, though, the use of narration acts as a gateway inside Borg’s thoughts, rendering him more vulnerable and emotionally available.
Thus Bergman uses the road movie format not only as a physical journey from Stockholm to Lund, but a mental journey that explores Borg’s past as well, so that he can redeem himself from being unloved and troubled, to an endearing old man at peace with life. The style is pivotal to the film’s power, as it gives the film a solid enough structure - both in terms of plot and character development – to make it accessible to even mainstream audiences, which has often been a criticism of the Swedish director’s other films.
Another surprising aspect of the film, not often found in many of the director’s other dramas, is the use of subtle humour to gives the film a more watchable pace. This is particularly evident, though not exclusive, in the bickering between Borg and his housekeeper, which resembles a charming old married couple squabble over domestic issues such as packing a suitcase properly. This use of humour not only gives brief respite from the more serious issues but contributes into giving the film a warm ambience that complements the picturesque Swedish landscapes, soft affectionate tones and camera work.
Indeed, all of these characteristics are at their most potent in the nostalgic scenes from Borg’s past at the summer house. The laughter, music, variety of people and carefree gaiety in these scenes is a direct contrast from the present, which often has very controlled and self-conscious scenes with only one or two people in them. The resultant effect of this contrast creates a lasting yet intangible impression of lost youth certain to strike a chord with the majority of viewers.
Finally, the use of relationships between the characters is perhaps the film’s biggest strength, as each of them, from the carefree idealist youths to the married couple full of resent - and even Borg’s strong but callous mother isolated in her mansion - highlight different aspects of human nature. Bergman uses all of these characters to provide an overall positive message that it is better to let go of past regrets and take a chance on life than wither away all alone.
Wild Strawberries manages to combine a deeply profound and powerful message with mainstream accessibility that puts it instantly into the category of timeless classic. QA
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