1978 · drama
Autumn Sonata
Directed by Ingmar Bergman1h 33m1978
After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva. The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena, is out of the asylum and living with Eva.
Our read: Autumn Sonata (1978) reads as a heavy, measured, grounded drama entry — measured in intensity, intimate in scope, cold in temperature, nihilistic in outlook, with a strong directorial signature.
Heavy, measured, measured drama, grounded in texture. Nihilistic, intimate, cold.
- heavy
- measured
- intense
- bleak
- cold
- signature
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Availability in the UK · via JustWatch
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How Autumn Sonata feels to watch.
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“You want an intimate Bergman chamber piece about mothers, daughters, and buried guilt.”
Skip it tonight — You are too tired for subtitles and unflinching emotional excavation tonight.
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