La Isla De Bergman

Master Director Ingmar Bergman famously lived for the last decades of his life on the island of Fårö off Sweden and made it the setting for many of his films as well as varied relationships with wives and women. Writer-Director Mia Hansen-Love (EDEN, THINGS TO COME) sets her newest film on the isle and it becomes a character in and of itself.

A filmmaking couple, Chris (Vicky Krieps; so fascinating in PHANTOM THREAD) and Tony (Tim Roth), visit Fårö to work on their new screenplays as well as soak in the Bergman atmosphere, both being devoted to the famed Director. Tony is also being feted by the Swedish film community which grants the pair special access including a stay at one of Bergman's homes. This description may make it seem like this is a movie only for fans of the Swedish Director (he passed in 2007), but Hansen-Love has more on her mind (still, at least a cursory knowledge of Bergman's work is essential). This isn't to say that the film isn't littered with references and allusions to the filmmakers work and life - it is (the couple sleep in the same bedroom that was used for Bergman's SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE: "The film that made millions of people divorce" as is said here); But, Hansen-Love's focus is on the personal dynamics.

While Tony is obviously the senior partner in both age and success, the central character is clearly Chris. A movie within the movie brings to life the screenplay that she is working on. That inner tale concerns a young woman (Mia Wasikowska) who meets up with an old flame (Anders Danielsen Lie) at a wedding....on Fårö. While Wasikowska's character is named 'Amy', she is clearly a stand-in for Chris. It's a tricky and mostly clever device, even if it is awkwardly inserted into the storyline (and far too late). As a backstory within a backstory, Hansen-Love herself famously had a long affair with French Director Olivier Assayas -- who was also the senior partner in both age and success. And, to extend the "in" nature of the production even on step further, Greta Gerwig had been slated to play Chris originally (Gerwig, of course, also being involved in a filmaking couple romance with Noah Baumbach). As noted, it's awkward.

Cinefiles certainly are the target audience here. Bergman presence clearly haunts the island and there is talk of how he may have believed in ghosts. The film has an oddly structured screenplay that meanders a bit before making its design clear, but there are pleasures to be had for those that stick with it. The uninitiated may find it a pleasant tour of the scenic island (usually rendered bleakly in Bergman's films, and often in Black &White).

At first a rather boring car journey and a rather uninteresting looking island where Chris and Tony, or Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth are to have a working holiday for their screenplays. Faro was the island where Ingmar Bergman worked and filmed and Roth is especially keen on being there. The couple are not quite as loving as they might have been and Krieps starts to tell her story, although he is not so interested, as he has already planned out his own. Of course the story becomes a film within a film and it is something like her life and there are moments about Bergman. Roth even rented the house that had been filmed with the very bed in Scenes For A Marriage, 'The film that made millions of people divorce'. I understand that in reality the director, Mia Hansen-Love had a long affair with the French director Olivier Assayas who was the senior partner in both age and success.

Bergman Island is a beautiful story about the creativity and strong inner life of artists.

My review is likey biased towards favorable one because most clever and abundant references were so familiar to me, not only Ingmar Bergman's films and his biography (recommend Laterna magica to everybody), but also the soundtrack including the hymns of Lutheran church, the recurring theme of Vem kan segla förutan vind and naturally one of the key songs Abba's Winner takes it all. All these elements strongly resonated within me together with the beautiful but a bit harsh island of Fårö connected with a ferry to the outer world.

This was an extremely beautiful film about the creative process and strong inner life of artists. Its focus was what is lurking under the surface which may be only expressed in the art. Here, the theme is the severe longing of fulfillment, in love but also in the film making. The longing of complete connection, warmth and acceptance.

I loved the choice of using a triple-layer structure, the meta-layers were convincing and emotional. Mia Wasikowska's performance was perfect as always. I also admired Tim Roth's subtle performance which created the needed background for the inner struggle of the main protagonist and the artist in the film, played by Vicky Krieps.

The paradox is that the lack of absolute love and connection often drives the artistic process and you need to embrace it while writing and directing. Yet, you need to come back to the imperfect but real world after the process. This may be exhausting. This films describes this perfectly.

I would recommend this film to all cinemaphiles, in particular to those with an earlier interest in Ingmar Bergman's work and life. The movies's tempo is rather slow and the layered structure may be a bit demanding for a wider film audience. This film also gives a valuable view on the women in the film industry as creative artists themselves and not only as muses and lovers of famous directors.

You need to be at a real ease to keep following. Nice atmosphere here and there, yet like Father of my children, it feels something missing.... it is not well held together... it feels it has been thought of in bits and pieces... making an effort to appear artsy.... it does has its moments , some clever dialogues and situation... yet something feels missing.. as astory.

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.