Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Morten_5 The 24th feature film directed by Swedish film legend Ingmar Bergman, "Winter Light" stars some of Bergman's favourite actors, including Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Max von Sydow and Allan Edwall. With amazing, masterful cinematography by Sven Nykvist, the movie was shot partly in Dalarna, Sweden. Depicting the loss of faith of small town priest, "Winter Light" is, as most of Bergman's films, full of impressively well-written dialogue and great acting.

davikubrick Made three years before Bergman made considered by many (and me) his ultimate masterpiece, Persona (1966), he made one of his most acclaimed films, Winter Light (1963). He goes back from the themes of his iconic The Seventh Seal (1957) made in the same year as Wild Strawberries, after these two films, Bergman's style would profoundly change, with these two films, even thought they have disturbing themes, they have a comic feeling to it, later Bergman would almost exclude this feeling of "pleasantness" and only left the ruthless, cold, sometimes hopeless and painful drama of some human being. Here he explores the lack of faith, our need that a God must exist, it's a cold film, it does not use soundtrack at all, the priest (played with excellence by Gunnar Bjornstrand) is a cold man, he tends to react coldly, almost indifferent. All characters of the film seems and feels like true human beings, none of them seems fake. All have problems. The film uses an almost claustrophobic feeling to it, the places and the sound of the clock help giving the film it's disturbing feeling. Bergman does not give answers, only questions. A powerful, visually beautiful and cold film that shows Bergman's power in one of his best works.

Miko Tanco Film history is no stranger to religion. From biblical allegory in the character of Maria in Metropolis to the silent meditation of last year's Polish film Ida, European films have grappled with the question of creed and God's existence. In these films, the faith-filled characters often experience harsh realities and go through tests of faith. The films of Ingmar Bergman are normally rich with religious themes. In 1957, he made The Seventh Seal, which centers on a man who contemplates his existence while playing a game of chess with death. Three years later, The Virgin Spring ends in a father proclaiming to God that he will build a church in atonement for his vengeful sins. He continues this tradition in his 1963 film Winter Light. The film explores a character who is plagued with doubt. He is struggling to find meaning in a world of pain and suffering. In the end, he does not reach a clear revelation about his faith, but he does evolve spiritually as well as learn that despair is never the path to follow. The central issue of the film, namely the balance between hope and doubt, is elucidated through the constant struggle of faith the main character goes through. The movie is, in one respect, a study on a pastor who is trying to find out who he is. He is searching for meaning beyond his monotonous life. The movie does not treat memory as the primary function of identity, nor does it treat physical appearance or even personality as what makes a character who he or she is. The film instead emphasizes that which gives a character's life meaning: God or something else. Ingmar Bergman has stated that he put a lot of himself in the movie. He was the son of a strict priest and grew up around religious artifacts, teachings, and customs. He said that he lost his faith at an early age and came to terms with that fact in the making of Winter Light. Perhaps he, like Tomas, became familiar with despair but never let it defeat him, and in making this film he is giving both a lesson and a warning – religious or not, without something to live for, life is not worth living.

zjconnolly In the film Winter Light, we follow a pastor through a day sermon and emotional turmoil. Haunted by the passing of his wife, Tomas has questions on whether God truly exists. This film deals with the Silence of god, which Bergman explores in his next film, The Silence. The film starts with a bleak service in a small Swedish town with very few patrons attending. We see the look of doubt on his face and the various looks of trust, hope and doubt on the patrons faces as he serves them holy communion.Tomas, the pastor, is visited by a sailor, Jonas, and his wife about some concerns Jonas is having with the looming dread of China developing an atomic bomb. Jonas has trouble speaking and Tomas has trouble hiding his doubt of faith from Jonas so he asks him to return later. Soon Tomas is visited by a woman,Marta, who is an atheist but seems to show a romantic interest in the pastor while he remains indifferent. She mentions a note she had given him and asks if he had read it. He states that he hasn't. He is also sick with a cold and begins to have coughing fits which give Marta concern and drives her to beg him to marry her. He remains indifferent and she eventually leaves. Later the pastor reads the note in which the film cuts to a close of Marta speaking the words that are written on the page. This shot is a few minutes long and one of the most emotional in the film. She reveals that they have had a past romantic relationship and then sums up Tomas as a frightened man for ignoring Marta after she had a disgusting skin problem on her hands. She berates him and calls him shallow, all while looking directly into our eyes. Tomas is again visited by Jonas and this time Tomas tries again to advise him with faith but ends up admitting he has no faith. This discourages Jonas and he leaves. Marta comes around again and tries to embrace Tomas but he still remains indifferent. Then a woman comes to tell that Jonas had committed suicide with a shotgun. Tomas goes to the site of the body and then leaves with Marta. Back at Martas school house, she chastises him for not giving her attention and breaks into phony tears. Then, in a moment of truth and frustration, he reveals how sickened he was by her rash and how the only woman he loved was his wife and she could never possibly fill that void. Then her tears are real.Marta is crushed but agrees to take Tomas to Jonas' home. Tomas goes to the house of Jonas to inform his wife of her passing. She breaks down and Tomas offers a feeble attempt of counsel and leaves. Then, Marta and Tomas go to the second church to perform a 3'O clock service but the only people there are his Algot, a sexton, and Frederik the organist. Algot as a character is a contrast to Tomas because he is disfigured and yet has a more solid foundation of faith than that of Tomas. Algot talks to Tomas about the emphasis of the brief, physical punishment of Christ and its relevance when the more hurtful thing was that nobody understood Christs message and his followers who abandoned him. He asks "Wasn't God's Silence worse?" to which Tomas replies "Yes." This time, no one has shown up to the church and Algot asks if they should perform the service. But, Marta is there and the film ends at the beginning of the service. The film is an interesting one because it questions those who are in the position to provide people with counsel about there faith. Throughout the course of the film it becomes clear that Tomas is not fit to provide counsel to anyone because he has lost his faith. Like most of Bergman's films, it is bleak in tone and the subject matter is very taken very seriously. The use of black and white and simple set design reflect the despair that affects the principal characters and plot of the film. I feel sorry for the character of Tomas because of his confusion and depression after having faith in a God who does not communicate and brought him much sadness by taking his wife. I believe the films is an extension of Bergmans own doubt in his faith and also a critique of the state of the church in Sweden at the time. Technically, I found the film great and Berman is masterful in the way he constructs characters, relationships and scenes in a realistic, simple and dramatic manner. Though I am not a man of faith, I can understand a faithful mans point of view and could understand both the depressed, confused contradiction of Tomas and the reason for Bergman to make this film in order to explore his own doubts of faith and call others to do the same.