Wild Strawberries (1957)

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Starring: Victor Sjöström, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin

After living a life marked by coldness, an aging professor is forced to confront the emptiness of his existence.

78-Year old Professor Isak Borg is about to receive an honorary degree in Lund. After a disturbing dream, he impulsively decides to drive by car from Stockholm to Lund instead of flying. His daughter-in-law Marianne, who has been visiting him, decides to travel with him. As we learn later, Marianne is married to Isak’s son, Evald, but is planning to separate from him because she is pregnant with their first child, and he does not want children.

Along the trip he meets a young girl named Sara, her boyfriend Anders and friend Viktor (although she can’t really make up her mind whom she loves most), who hitches a ride with him. On the journey, he recalls memories from his past, and reflects in reminisce on his life. At times past and present intertwines, with an aged Isak reliving his past.

I found the film very entertaining, and also quite funny. His mother, Mrs Borg, especially was hilarious. Victor Sjöström delivered a heartfelt performance as Isak, a man who came face to face with many regrets and disappointments he suffered over the years. There’s also the burning question “What if…?” The film effectively illustrates how a simple decision effects the course of life, and how different it could have been had you decided otherwise.

‘Wild Strawberries’ received 20 award nominations including an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. It won awards for Best Foreign Film, Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, among others.

In Swedish.

Would I watch it again? I somehow don’t think so, but it was good.