Ep 63: Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries

Flixwise Podcast

On today's show, get ready for some resentment, misery, and existential dread. That's right, it's Ingmar Bergman time!! Lady P is joined by Michael Leader of Film 4, and resident Bergman aficionado, Dave Eves, to discuss the 63rd movie on the Sight and Sound Critics' Poll, Wild Strawberries (1957). The film follows an elderly protagonist named Isak Borg, who's played by Victor Sjöström, on a road trip through the Swedish countryside. Along the way, he has a series of flashbacks that force him to take stock of his life and reevaluate his interpersonal relationships. While chalk full of Bergman's trademark combination of formal elegance and emotional violence, Wild Strawberries is one of few films of his that grants the viewer a spiritual reprieve. Characters are cruel to one another, but they're also capable of great generosity and unexpected warmth. This unexpected sentimentality makes Wild Strawberries one of Bergman's easiest watches, but is it worthy of the Top 100 of All Time?

For our second topic, we jump off from Mr. Borg's experiences to discuss other "coming of old age" films. Works that delve into the complications of moving into life's latter-half aren't as prevalent as those dealing with the childhood to adolescent phase. However, there are number of powerful examples to discuss. Our panelists list a handful of their favorites, and they talk about the similarities and differences between "old-age films" other representations of transitionary periods (ie. adolescence, teenager-dom, quarter-life crises, etc.). Expect lots of sad-old-men and a surprising amount of Star Trek talk.