Autumn Sonata (1978)
Autumn Sonata is a pretty tough movie to watch, but not for the reason you might think. Yes, it’s an Ingmar Bergman drama, so it’s going to have some strange, disturbing plot points that make you question his mental health. But the real reason why it’s not a movie to rent over and over again is because of Lena Nyman’s character. She’s both mentally and physically handicapped, and every time she’s featured, it’s very upsetting. She stutters and stammers, drools, cries, screams, and crawls around on the floor. Is this really necessary?
I argue that it’s not. The story is about a mother’s visit to her adult daughter; a second, dysfunctional daughter isn’t relevant. The mother, Ingrid Bergman, is an accomplished, famous pianist who sacrificed being an attentive parent to practice and travel around the world for concerts. She hasn’t seen her daughter Liv Ullmann in years, and when she finally receives an invitation to her home, she’s delighted. Yes, she has a big personality and acts like a “performer” even when she doesn’t have an audience; but she cares deeply about her daughter and doesn’t deserve the treatment she gets.
Liv Ullman’s character is horrifying, but I’m not sure the audience is supposed to think so. She starts off the movie with tender feelings towards her mother, and she’s very glad to see Ingrid when she arrives. But on Ingrid’s very first night there, Liv suddenly turns on her, drinks some liquid courage, and lets loose in a screaming fit about how much she hates her and believes she ruined her life. She screams and screams, getting every resentment off her chest since childhood, and then turns cold and cruel when Ingrid tries to explain her own feelings. I realize most children aren’t capable of understanding their parents, or even wanting to, but this movie goes above and beyond in proving that point. Liv has such ugly expressions in her eyes, it makes you wonder if she’s capable of being nice in another movie (she is).
I can’t really recommend this movie in good conscience unless you enjoy artistic, heavily dramatic foreign movies. Obviously, if you like Ingmar Bergman’s work, you won’t have a problem with this movie, as it is definitely one of his lightest dramas. I actually made myself a promise that I would never sit through another of his films because they were too disturbing for my taste, but I made an exception for Ingrid Bergman – and I’m glad I did, because I was able to cast my vote for her at the Hot Toasty Rag Awards. She still received two Best Actress awards, but not for the films the Oscars picked. We appreciated her later work, specifically The Visit, Autumn Sonata, and she very nearly won a third Rag for A Walk in the Spring Rain.
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More Ingrid Bergman movies here!
I argue that it’s not. The story is about a mother’s visit to her adult daughter; a second, dysfunctional daughter isn’t relevant. The mother, Ingrid Bergman, is an accomplished, famous pianist who sacrificed being an attentive parent to practice and travel around the world for concerts. She hasn’t seen her daughter Liv Ullmann in years, and when she finally receives an invitation to her home, she’s delighted. Yes, she has a big personality and acts like a “performer” even when she doesn’t have an audience; but she cares deeply about her daughter and doesn’t deserve the treatment she gets.
Liv Ullman’s character is horrifying, but I’m not sure the audience is supposed to think so. She starts off the movie with tender feelings towards her mother, and she’s very glad to see Ingrid when she arrives. But on Ingrid’s very first night there, Liv suddenly turns on her, drinks some liquid courage, and lets loose in a screaming fit about how much she hates her and believes she ruined her life. She screams and screams, getting every resentment off her chest since childhood, and then turns cold and cruel when Ingrid tries to explain her own feelings. I realize most children aren’t capable of understanding their parents, or even wanting to, but this movie goes above and beyond in proving that point. Liv has such ugly expressions in her eyes, it makes you wonder if she’s capable of being nice in another movie (she is).
I can’t really recommend this movie in good conscience unless you enjoy artistic, heavily dramatic foreign movies. Obviously, if you like Ingmar Bergman’s work, you won’t have a problem with this movie, as it is definitely one of his lightest dramas. I actually made myself a promise that I would never sit through another of his films because they were too disturbing for my taste, but I made an exception for Ingrid Bergman – and I’m glad I did, because I was able to cast my vote for her at the Hot Toasty Rag Awards. She still received two Best Actress awards, but not for the films the Oscars picked. We appreciated her later work, specifically The Visit, Autumn Sonata, and she very nearly won a third Rag for A Walk in the Spring Rain.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "FleurRinna Gunta" for posting!
More Ingrid Bergman movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Actress of 1978: Ingrid Bergman
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Actress: Liv Ullmann