As Agnes slowly dies of cancer, her sisters are so immersed in their own psychic pains that they are unable to offer her the support she needs.
Though my personal favourite of Bergman's films will always be the first I've seen, for sentimental reasons ('Through a Glass Darkly'), this is outstanding. Essential for all cinephiles. A masterclass of acting, directing and cinematography. A dish to be savoured, exquisitely.
Ingmar Bergman's 1972 film <i>Viskningar och rop</i> (Cries and Whispers) was one of the auteur's major achievements of that decade. In a Swedish country house, the dying Agnes (Harriet Andersson) is visited by her two sisters, the sensual and impulsive Karin (Liv Ullmann), and the stern and frigid Maria (Ingrid Thulin). Though ostensibly there to comfort Agnes in her last days, they are essentially just waiting for her to die, as they are too more preoccupied with their unhappy marriages, their mysterious personal feud, and the specifics of dividing up the estate. It falls to Agnes' devoted maid Anna (Kari Sylwan) to provide any human warmth. One of the most emotionally touching aspects of the film is this contrast between the selfless lov...
There are certainly some very strong performances in this rather downbeat drama from Ingmar Bergman. "Agnes" (Harriet Andersson) is bed-ridden, dying of cancer and being tended by her two sisters "Karin" (Ingrid Thulin); "Maria" (Liv Ullmann) alongside their maid "Anna" (Kari Sylwan). The two sisters are pretty taciturn with each other; neither have particularly happy nor fulfilling marriages and the film uses the decline of "Agnes" as a conduit to reflect on their past lives, loves and on their own relationships. Thulin is particularly effective here, but the undercurrents of resentment between the siblings and their spouses (and the doctor Erland Josephson) are presented with a bleakness that I found all rather sterile. Watching their str...