Episode 199 – Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Light

Bergman's faith trilogy continues with the relentless Winter Light

This time on the podcast, Scott Nye, David Blakeslee, Trevor Berrett, and Arik Devens discuss Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Light.

“God, why hast thou forsaken me?” With Winter Light, Ingmar Bergman explores the search for redemption in a meaningless existence. Small-town pastor Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Björnstrand) performs his duties mechanically before a dwindling congregation, including his stubbornly devoted lover, Märta (Ingrid Thulin). When he is asked to assuage a troubled parishioner’s (Max von Sydow) debilitating fear of nuclear annihilation, Tomas is terrified to find that he can provide nothing but his own doubt. The beautifully photographed Winter Light is an unsettling look at the human craving for personal validation in a world seemingly abandoned by God.

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Episode Links

Winter Light – The Criterion Collection
Winter Light (1963) – IMDb
Winter Light – Wikipedia
Winter Light (1962) – #210 | Criterion Reflections
Ingmar Bergman: Winter Light – The Mookse and the Gripes
Winter Light – Ingmar Bergman Online Resource
Winter Light | The Current | The Criterion Collection

Episode Credits

Scott Nye (Twitter / Battleship Pretension)
David Blakeslee (Twitter / Criterion Reflections)
Trevor Berrett (Twitter / The Mookse and the Gripes)
Arik Devens (Twitter)