Bergman Island

Bergman Island: The eponymous island (named Fårö ) is where Bergman filmed many of his great works, not least of which was Scenes From A Marriage; you can even rent the house where it was filmed and sleep in the actual bedroom which featured in it. Chris (Vicky Krieps) and Tony (Tim Roth) do just that, both are filmmakers, Tony being the more famous of the two, his films are being screened by the Bergman Foundation and he;s giving Master Classes. He's also working on his new film as is Chris on the script for hers. Their relationship has troubles right out of a Bergman film. The screenplay Chris is working on reflects some of those very problems. The scenario comes to life as a film within a film, Amy (Mia Wasikowska) an American film director arrives on Fårö for the marriage of an old friend, also there is her first love, Joe (Anders Danielsen Lie), an affair starts up again.

Love, relationships and responsibilities are explored in this film as it goes meta, eventually blending fact with fiction. Bergman himself is an inspiration to both Chris and Tony but respect his work ethic is somewhat tempered by an examination of his personal life. Bergman had nine children by six different women but played little part in their upbringing. Chris has problems with this but it is argued by others that he wouldn't have made 60 films, directed numerous plays and become artistic director of five theatres if he had domestic duties. Chris reflects that it would be impossible for her (or any female director) to have nine children and carry on with her career. Not just a homage to Bergman, here he is warts and all but this is a film he might well have been happy to direct. Written and Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve. 8/10.

Beautiful movie in a history-filled location, though not much happens.

Interesting, well crafted and relatable main characters and refreshing storytelling. Lacks meaning and is not very emotionally engaging or exciting; still I do not think it ever gets boring since the story keeps moving albeit, as i said before, nothing hugely significant happens.

Captivating premise for cinephiles who want to know more about Bergman, the legendary Swedish director, and the island he used to live on.

6/10.

I really enjoyed and loved this film, but I can also understand why others won't. I won't go over the synopsis because I assume most readers are already familiar with it/can easily do so. The pacing is very slow and the plot gets more convoluted as we go along, and there are many many references to Bergman, and so again, I can understand why this would be alienating and maybe even annoying to some, but these are some of the reasons why I liked this film so much. The tone and the way that every scene is directed and shot are also very different from other "serious" so-called arthouse films. The universal and perhaps timeless subject matter--love, relationships, artistic creation, loneliness (or solitude, depending), to name some--are indeed serious but are also treated in a casual, airy, even jovial manner (and not in the derogatory sense of these words), which was really refreshing and made me even reconsider my own preferences, cinematic or otherwise, and the way that I view Bergman in particular and artistic inspiration more generally. There's also a sort of dreamlike atmosphere that surrounds the film and the film within a film especially.

The first hour or so is a very careful and brilliantly written setup for the second hour in which doubles and doubling will appear - characters become narrators and also understudies for other characters, and virtually every sentence that they say can be interpreted metafictionally, as they are aware of being actors in a film (or in the film within a film, as well). It's indeed a film that interprets itself and its own mechanisms, especially its writing process, which is not new (Godard, for example), of course, but this is exactly where the director has shown originality and creativity. Hansen-Løve takes Bergman and his films (and his alter ego in the form of the beautiful, serene island of Fårö itself and also possibly her partner, another threatening male director that looms in the background or the foreground), and instead of merely referencing him for the sake of reference alone and sounding "smart", as a "formidable reference" as one character says, she plays with his myth, with his films. After all, the word "allusion" comes from the word "to play," and this is where the film really shines quite brilliantly. Ghosts become zombies in a horror film within the film, words become real, and the "power of fiction," as one character writes in their journal, dazzles. There's also an interesting discussion of human relationships, love, motherhood, what it means to love more than one person at the same time, especially when it comes from a woman. Women here as in Bergman's films are indeed the driving force both of the plot and of the actual film, dealing with the old issue of writer's block in a new perspective, truly. I think this is what originality really is now: you take an artwork or its creator which precedes you (and in film or any other medium, of course, you never operate solely on your own or in a vacuum, but are under an influence of tradition and an entire history that "haunts" you), and try to re-mold it, shape it into something new by using the same tools but in a different, singular way, using your own tone. Notice that the title of the film is "Bergman Island" and not "Bergman's Island". Bergman doesn't own the island nor can he monopolize it, as much as the industry born from his life there is very much alive. Every director, character, visitor, and film spectator shares the island and its impression via this film. I will say, though, that the ending did feel a bit rushed and maybe even underdeveloped, but it's still done masterfully, showing complete control of the medium of film.

A nifty meta-infused drama about the blurred boundary between the creative process and the life of the creator.

Vicky Krieps is the not very happy heroine at the center of the film, a filmmaker married to another filmmaker (Tim Roth) who has an Ingmar Bergman obsession. They are staying at a Swedish retreat devoted to honoring the film giant's legacy, because what could be more fun than going on a Bergman safari, which is an actual thing, and where they hilariously play Bergman movies on the tour bus. Put "Cries and Whispers" on for your kids on your next road trip and see how far that gets you.

In the grand tradition of artistic couples, Roth is self absorbed and kind of an ass. He's half-heartedly supportive of his wife's latest and stalled project, a movie within a movie that we get to see played out for us as Krieps explains it to Roth. Mia Wasikowska plays the heroine of Krieps's film, a version of herself dealing with the feelings generated by a lingering love affair. Though Wasikowska is also an actual person on Krieps's film crew, and as you can imagine, the film remains pretty vague about how much of what we see actually happens vs. How much is part of the fiction Krieps creates for her movie. Though it doesn't really matter, since either way we get a crystal clear idea of what's going on in Krieps's head. If you are the kind of person who likes to be very clear about what is happening in a movie at any given point in its running time, you will hate this film.

I for one really enjoyed the way this movie played around with time and fluidly moved back and forth between fiction and reality. And Krieps and Wasikowska both give great performances.

Grade: A.

"Can I tell you about the story I'm writing?"

A couple retreat to the island that inspired Ingmar Bergman to write screenplays for their upcoming films when the lines between reality and fiction start to blur. Bergman Island is a light-hearted drama that's been going from festival to festival the past few month. People have praised it as a great feel good movie for cinephiles. If I'm being honest, I haven't actually seen a Bergman film. The closest I've gotten was this year's limited series Scenes From a Marriage based on his film. Being in film school, though, I am familiar with his works and what he has done for cinema. Bergman Island is there to pay homage to the name Bergman. Everything about it is centered around the filmmaker. The first 45-minutes actually goes through a tour and gives the audience a slice of who he was. This is good for those who don't know him. After a little bit, it does begin to feel more like a lesson than part of the movie. It is necessary to know all of this information but it can be a bit excessive. It almost feels like it's testing our knowledge and talking down to us. When we get into the actual story the movie is about, it becomes an enjoyable time. Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth play a troubled couple trying to find their voice for their upcoming screenplays. The two play their characters well. I found Krieps' character more appealing. We are supposed to side with her and follow almost the entire time so that is inevitable. Her passion for film and wanting a story centered around a woman like her is delightful to see.

Where the movie finds a unique voice in story is Krieps' idea of a story. The movie becomes a movie inside of a movie. This movie that we're watching stars Mia Wasikowska as a woman similar to Krieps' down to the look. This new story actually took my interest more than the overall one. It's very fun and a little more relatable. And Wasikowska steals the entire show! By adding this new aspect, it grounds the movie as a whole. Both stories start off string but lose steam as they go along. By the time we get to the new story, it felt like it was going nowhere. As great of an idea as this is and it works well, the placement is awkward. Not till about an hour in so we see this. It diverts our attention, and for good reason, but feels out of place to begin with. By the end of the new story, I started to feel some fatigue. The very end of the movie leaves us on a hopeful thought. It's a movie full of hope and there to inspire others to let their creativity flow. Mia Hansen-Løve showcases good filmmaking through direction and writing. I'm glad I saw it once it ended. I do think there were story aspects that could've been approved upon, but this is a downright enjoyable movie. Bergman Island is available to rent on VOD and it's one that I'd like to revisit again someday.