1963 | Sweden | Fiction

Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light)

  • Swedish 81 mins
  • Director | Ingmar Bergman
  • Writer | Ingmar Bergman
  • Producer | Allan Ekelund

STATUS: Released

This film is currently not available.   

“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.

Faith Doubt Isolation Existential Spiritual
Film Organizations
The Criterion Collection
DISTRIBUTION