This film is one of the most important of all those that I have seen in my movie going, spanning fifty years, for it was the first Bergman film I saw in the early sixties at Auckland's only cinema for foreign films. I was struck by its humanity, by its clear eyed view of what it is to be human. Not only did it open up the whole body of Bergman's subsequent work, but I saw the themes first explored in this film deepened and enriched (with a few disappointments to be sure) throughout his career. I first learned here that more difficult and challenging films keep giving long after they have been first seen. Those who say Bergman is gloomy and depressing, all I can say is that the MOST depressing experience in the cinema EVER for me, was being persuaded to join a group of people "just for a laugh" to see the truly execrable "Sex and the City 2" Compare the insulting view of women in that piece of rubbish with this gem.
18 Reviews
A touching story.
louictisk7 January 2015
Maybe this isn't the deepest film of Bergman - or the most spectacular film visually - but there is something with this movie that I like. Maybe that's the stripped and easy settings, that's differently in comparison with other films directed by Bergman, or maybe that's the three interesting women's stories - that the film is about - that touches me.
And maybe Bergman knew that. Maybe he knew that films about pregnancies and all that concern about that, touches people. Maybe he knew that it was an excellent idea to directing a film, that takes place in some gloomy hospital wards - for the gloomy settings, leaves space to a film that entirely focus on three - more or less - wounded souls.
Maybe he knew that. Maybe he knew that it was the way to a masterpiece.
And maybe Bergman knew that. Maybe he knew that films about pregnancies and all that concern about that, touches people. Maybe he knew that it was an excellent idea to directing a film, that takes place in some gloomy hospital wards - for the gloomy settings, leaves space to a film that entirely focus on three - more or less - wounded souls.
Maybe he knew that. Maybe he knew that it was the way to a masterpiece.
Standard early Bergman, in other words, very impressive
whatalovelypark18 March 2014
This movie is fairly straight forward, with women in various situations facing childbirth.
What transforms this movie is the astonishing performances that Bergman is able to obtain from the actors. It's something that is so frequent in the first half of his career. There's something vibrant and remarkable, that transcends plot. You can see why he became so famous. Very few directors seem to be able to obtain such spontaneous performances from their actors.
Like so many of his early films, there's not much here that you might not see in the theatre. Yet it has such remarkable life to it.
What transforms this movie is the astonishing performances that Bergman is able to obtain from the actors. It's something that is so frequent in the first half of his career. There's something vibrant and remarkable, that transcends plot. You can see why he became so famous. Very few directors seem to be able to obtain such spontaneous performances from their actors.
Like so many of his early films, there's not much here that you might not see in the theatre. Yet it has such remarkable life to it.
Facing life squarely
gleywong11 August 2004
"Brink of Life" was shown as part of the exhaustive Bergman retrospective organized by the National Gallery of Art, American Film Institute, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The film curator at the NMWA paired it insightfully with "Karin's Face (1984)," a film of stills about Bergman's mother.
As the two previous reviewers have observed, this little-mentioned film is a classic of its own, dealing with a most challenging and difficult phase of life undeservedly neglected by directors, male or female. Numerous thoughts passed through my mind while viewing it. For those who have experienced some of the events in the film, it rings true. Bergman, with the assistance of the excellent script by Ulla Isaksson, is able to penetrate female psychology about this very elemental subject and to elicit powerful and honest performances from all of his actors. To say that Bergman proves himself to be both psychologist and psychiatrist of the female psyche would not be an exaggeration. But here in 1958 he feels no need for the pathology of "Cries and Whispers," or the sexual neuroses of "Persona."
The setting is "given," almost like a stage play, as it takes place in mainly two rooms of a hospital, and the situation of each of the three women, while different, might even seem a tad "set" or "canned." But as their situations unfold, and as we are drawn into each dilemma, we see how vital this inter-action is between them, between them and the head nurse, and between each of their spouses and lover. From the intensity of being alone (as we see in vivid closeups), their circle of life is gradually drawn wider, encompassing others and us in it. Ultimately, we see how this inter-action deeply affects each of them.
From the standpoint of film making, we can feel how much Bergman loved the archetype Woman, and felt compelled to present in as straightforward and sympathetic a way possible, without melodrama or sentimentality, her predicament as Child-bearer. We are given insight into her innermost fears (what woman has not feared pregnancy before marriage, or a miscarriage, or an abnormal or still birth, an indifferent lover or spouse?), and we are shown how some kind of closure or resolution might be offered through an honest reaching out and sharing of those fears with someone who listens and sympathizes without judgment. Bergman's genius was the ability to reach into the female psyche, to gain the trust of his actors, to allow them to reveal themselves in this most intimate and personal of human emotions and acts, and to make a statement about greeting and accepting life as well as death. He must have obtained this insight early on in life, and for that gift we must thank his mother Karin.
One final note about the men in these women's lives. Ingrid Thulin is matched with Erland Josephson, Eva Dahlbeck with Max von Sydow, and Bibi Andersson speaks on the phone with her lover. Both Josephson and Sydow look very young, much younger than the women appear. Josephson plays a role we seldom see him in, that of the rather unsympathetic spouse, a bit too caught up in himself and appearances.
His sister, interceding for him, is the beautiful and strong, but rarely seen Inga Landgr~{(&~}. Max von Sydow plays a young, very young husband to Dahlbeck -- he seems almost like an adolescent here, even though he was in the "Magician" the same year and "Seventh Seal" the year before. Bibi's errant young man is suitably absent
If we are to read their roles as legitimately portrayed, then I wonder what Bergman was trying to say about Man vis a vis Woman during this phase of pregnancy and childbirth? I hesitate to speculate, but it is almost one of helplessness, even fecklessness, in the face of a life force that is greater than himself.
In all a film of **** well worth searching for and best seen in company with "Karin's Face" if at all possible. I would recommend that all medical students see it, and anyone contemplating childbirth.
As the two previous reviewers have observed, this little-mentioned film is a classic of its own, dealing with a most challenging and difficult phase of life undeservedly neglected by directors, male or female. Numerous thoughts passed through my mind while viewing it. For those who have experienced some of the events in the film, it rings true. Bergman, with the assistance of the excellent script by Ulla Isaksson, is able to penetrate female psychology about this very elemental subject and to elicit powerful and honest performances from all of his actors. To say that Bergman proves himself to be both psychologist and psychiatrist of the female psyche would not be an exaggeration. But here in 1958 he feels no need for the pathology of "Cries and Whispers," or the sexual neuroses of "Persona."
The setting is "given," almost like a stage play, as it takes place in mainly two rooms of a hospital, and the situation of each of the three women, while different, might even seem a tad "set" or "canned." But as their situations unfold, and as we are drawn into each dilemma, we see how vital this inter-action is between them, between them and the head nurse, and between each of their spouses and lover. From the intensity of being alone (as we see in vivid closeups), their circle of life is gradually drawn wider, encompassing others and us in it. Ultimately, we see how this inter-action deeply affects each of them.
From the standpoint of film making, we can feel how much Bergman loved the archetype Woman, and felt compelled to present in as straightforward and sympathetic a way possible, without melodrama or sentimentality, her predicament as Child-bearer. We are given insight into her innermost fears (what woman has not feared pregnancy before marriage, or a miscarriage, or an abnormal or still birth, an indifferent lover or spouse?), and we are shown how some kind of closure or resolution might be offered through an honest reaching out and sharing of those fears with someone who listens and sympathizes without judgment. Bergman's genius was the ability to reach into the female psyche, to gain the trust of his actors, to allow them to reveal themselves in this most intimate and personal of human emotions and acts, and to make a statement about greeting and accepting life as well as death. He must have obtained this insight early on in life, and for that gift we must thank his mother Karin.
One final note about the men in these women's lives. Ingrid Thulin is matched with Erland Josephson, Eva Dahlbeck with Max von Sydow, and Bibi Andersson speaks on the phone with her lover. Both Josephson and Sydow look very young, much younger than the women appear. Josephson plays a role we seldom see him in, that of the rather unsympathetic spouse, a bit too caught up in himself and appearances.
His sister, interceding for him, is the beautiful and strong, but rarely seen Inga Landgr~{(&~}. Max von Sydow plays a young, very young husband to Dahlbeck -- he seems almost like an adolescent here, even though he was in the "Magician" the same year and "Seventh Seal" the year before. Bibi's errant young man is suitably absent
If we are to read their roles as legitimately portrayed, then I wonder what Bergman was trying to say about Man vis a vis Woman during this phase of pregnancy and childbirth? I hesitate to speculate, but it is almost one of helplessness, even fecklessness, in the face of a life force that is greater than himself.
In all a film of **** well worth searching for and best seen in company with "Karin's Face" if at all possible. I would recommend that all medical students see it, and anyone contemplating childbirth.
Exceptional film from Bergman
zetes14 March 2004
Undervalued Bergman film whose themes are pregnancy and birth. I've never seen these subjects discussed in a film with such lucidity. Three women in various states of pregnancy are in a hospital room together. We are first introduced to Ingrid Thulin, who is only a few months pregnant. She has come to the hospital because she has had a hemorrhage. She loses the fetus, which gives her a new view on her relationship with her husband (Erland Josephson). One of her roommates, played by Eva Dahlbeck, is nearing the end of her pregnancy. She has a loving relationship with her husband, and they cannot wait to have their child. The third roommate is Bibi Andersson, a young, single woman who has had an abortion before. She doesn't want this baby, either, but neither does she want to have another abortion. Childbirth really is a frightening thing. Even if the woman has a man, she is alone within herself when the event happens. I think this may be one of Bergman's best films, although the poor quality of the video harmed its effect quite a bit. It had white subtitles, and, since the entire film takes place in a hospital, you could imagine that the white hospital gowns and sheets and such really block the subtitles a good amount of the time. There were certainly some major bits of dialogue that I had no chance of understanding. I eagerly await a proper DVD release, although I'm not going to hold my breath. The three actresses are absolutely brilliant, especially Bibi Andersson, who definitely gives one of her best performances.
Groundbreaking in 1958
gbill-748778 June 2020
What makes this film special is that in 1958 it was examining the emotions and process of childbirth, openly talking about unwanted pregnancy and abortion, and showing it all from the perspective of three women in a hospital. The fact that it acknowledges what it does is in stark contrast to films coming out of America, where the most innocuous of things about a woman's body or even having a baby was suppressed. There is an interesting dynamic in trying to convince an unwed woman to have the child because of all of the support Sweden's public health system now provided, the guilt and turmoil of emotions each feel because of stressful situations or events, and the heartfelt support they show each other. It's a quiet movie for the most part, one that examines feelings and lets us know that coming into the world is not such a simple thing, but a truly gripping moment occurs when one woman is patronized by a male doctor and sedated against her will. I can't say it was one I would reach for and re-watch necessarily, but I'm impressed by the subject matter, and think at the time it would have felt truly groundbreaking.
Yet another Bergman gem
TheLittleSongbird23 December 2012
Getting close to the end of my Ingmar Bergman quest, I now see him as a director that I admire highly. And I love his films, so far actually All These Women is the only one I didn't like. So Close to Life is a gem. The subject matter is a challenging one indeed, but handled very intelligently by Bergman that is never dealt with in a heavy-handed way. This is further advantaged by a thoughtful script and superb direction. Same with how the characters are written, how Bergman portrays women in his films never fails to compel or amaze me. These characters are not stereotypes or ones that don't engage you in any way, these characters are ones that are compellingly real. As always with a Bergman film, So Close to Life is incredibly well made, being strikingly and atmospherically shot and with memorable scenery and imagery. The acting is exceptional from some of the best ever Swedish actors, so much so that it is difficult to give a definite standout. If I did have to choose, Bibbi Andersson probably whose performance is up there among her best. All in all, a Bergman gem yet sadly overlooked. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Agony
angelesoviedo9 November 2021
This film really puts you there, in the hospital, witnessing the painful moment that is giving birth. Really deep, unique and full of questions about life, death and motherhood.
Not my personal favorite from Bergman, but we have to remember that this was made in 1958, that means this film was a pioneer in the topic of motherhood and abortion.
Not my personal favorite from Bergman, but we have to remember that this was made in 1958, that means this film was a pioneer in the topic of motherhood and abortion.
A Labour of Love...
Xstal5 February 2023
Without too much variation (hardly any), or adjustment, modification, this incredible presentation would take very little contemporisation - and perhaps that's why its effect today is just as impactful as it must have been upon release, with three stellar female performances built around stories as believable and real, both in isolation and the way they're weaved together, to leave the viewer under no illusion of the heartache and pain they all endure.
Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin and Bibi Andersson are immense as the three ladies in the maternity ward revealing their thoughts and their secrets.
Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin and Bibi Andersson are immense as the three ladies in the maternity ward revealing their thoughts and their secrets.
Deserved the Cannes award for acting but the award for direction is odd, considering the competing films
JuguAbraham5 October 2019
This Bergman film could easily have been a filmed play. Three pregnant ladies in a hospital room in various stages of childbirth. It deserved the Cannes best actress award for the lady ensemble--as it captures the moods of a mom doesn't want to bring the child to this world, another who is eager to do so and a third who is insecure to do so. Bergman won the Best Director award at Cannes that year beating Martin Ritt for his "The long, hot summer,' Satyajit Ray for his "Paras Pathar (The Philosopher's Stone)" and Michael Cacoyannis for his "A Matter of Dignity." I am an admirer of Bergman's body of work but this decision I feel was out of place. The film was ably directed but not worthy of the Best Director honor considering the three competing films.
A hidden gem, and one of Bergman's best films
davidmvining25 November 2019
I've been waiting for this. Out of the 39 Bergman films in this set, there had to have been one movie that I had never heard of that I would end up loving as much as Bergman's best stuff, and it finally happened.
Brink of Life is an amazing movie. It is the story of three pregnant women in a maternity ward. Each has different outlooks on the child within them. Cecilia enters the ward in the middle of a miscarriage. She views the death of her child as confirmation that there is no love between her and her husband whom she scorns when he visits after the D&C. Stina is a settled, middle class woman with a loving husband and both are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the newest member of their family. Hjordis is a young, unmarried woman without any real means who is in the ward because of attempts to self-induce an abortion.
The movie takes place on about two sets. The vast majority of it takes place in a single room. And yet it never gets old visually. There's a feeling of claustrophobia that comes out rather forcefully when Cecilia first arrives, though. She screams about how the place has some sort of power over her and she has to tell the truth in it. But is it the truth? She thinks it's the case at the time that she wants her husband to leave her, but, as with many Bergman characters who lie or simply are speaking from a heightened emotional state where truth is difficult to settle on, Cecilia may not actually mean it.
After the first half hour, Cecilia becomes more of a fixture and Stina and Hjordis take center stage. Stina is simply bubbly and joyous at the prospect of her baby. Her husband arrives for a visit and shows sketches of a bathing solution for Stina that will make her life just a little bit easier when the baby arrives. The loving look the two share as they look down at the simply sketch speaks so much to how they view the future. When Stina loses her baby in an overlong delivery where they end up putting her under, it is one of the most emotionally resonant moments in all of Bergman's filmography.
That tragedy has a profound effect of Hjordis. She's been talking to people about how she has no support, but refusing to find real solutions. She's convinced that her mother will never take her back after she did exactly what her mother had predicted she would do: return home with a baby. She feels so completely alone. The father wants nothing to do with the baby and is the driving force behind the abortion attempt (in fact, Hjordis says that this wasn't the first time). Watching Stina go from the bubbly personality to the broken woman who lost her baby for seemingly no reason drags Hjordis back to the reality of the small person growing inside her. She picks up the phone and calls her mother who welcomes her daughter back with open arms, a second emotional moment that hits me almost as hard as the first.
This is a great, almost completely forgotten Bergman film. Made in the middle of his existential period, it feels like it should have been made ten years later or ten years earlier. It has a weird spot in the timeline of the filmography, but that shouldn't diminish its greatness. I adored this film.
Brink of Life is an amazing movie. It is the story of three pregnant women in a maternity ward. Each has different outlooks on the child within them. Cecilia enters the ward in the middle of a miscarriage. She views the death of her child as confirmation that there is no love between her and her husband whom she scorns when he visits after the D&C. Stina is a settled, middle class woman with a loving husband and both are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the newest member of their family. Hjordis is a young, unmarried woman without any real means who is in the ward because of attempts to self-induce an abortion.
The movie takes place on about two sets. The vast majority of it takes place in a single room. And yet it never gets old visually. There's a feeling of claustrophobia that comes out rather forcefully when Cecilia first arrives, though. She screams about how the place has some sort of power over her and she has to tell the truth in it. But is it the truth? She thinks it's the case at the time that she wants her husband to leave her, but, as with many Bergman characters who lie or simply are speaking from a heightened emotional state where truth is difficult to settle on, Cecilia may not actually mean it.
After the first half hour, Cecilia becomes more of a fixture and Stina and Hjordis take center stage. Stina is simply bubbly and joyous at the prospect of her baby. Her husband arrives for a visit and shows sketches of a bathing solution for Stina that will make her life just a little bit easier when the baby arrives. The loving look the two share as they look down at the simply sketch speaks so much to how they view the future. When Stina loses her baby in an overlong delivery where they end up putting her under, it is one of the most emotionally resonant moments in all of Bergman's filmography.
That tragedy has a profound effect of Hjordis. She's been talking to people about how she has no support, but refusing to find real solutions. She's convinced that her mother will never take her back after she did exactly what her mother had predicted she would do: return home with a baby. She feels so completely alone. The father wants nothing to do with the baby and is the driving force behind the abortion attempt (in fact, Hjordis says that this wasn't the first time). Watching Stina go from the bubbly personality to the broken woman who lost her baby for seemingly no reason drags Hjordis back to the reality of the small person growing inside her. She picks up the phone and calls her mother who welcomes her daughter back with open arms, a second emotional moment that hits me almost as hard as the first.
This is a great, almost completely forgotten Bergman film. Made in the middle of his existential period, it feels like it should have been made ten years later or ten years earlier. It has a weird spot in the timeline of the filmography, but that shouldn't diminish its greatness. I adored this film.
2023.10.26
EasonVonn26 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It looked fine halfway through, with shocking acting and a very fresh take on the subject showing the pain of female childbearing.
But there are perhaps many ways in which this mere performance can be interpreted positively, the only thing that surprised me was the twist at the end.
Why did the young girl want to have a baby after two such horrible failed births? And why is that wife still being persuaded to return to a patriarchal family. It just instantly puts the director's purpose into perspective.
A good postmodernist work was turned into a modernist, shameful utopian fantasy.
This kind of depiction of pain before urging people to embrace it is unspeakable!
But there are perhaps many ways in which this mere performance can be interpreted positively, the only thing that surprised me was the twist at the end.
Why did the young girl want to have a baby after two such horrible failed births? And why is that wife still being persuaded to return to a patriarchal family. It just instantly puts the director's purpose into perspective.
A good postmodernist work was turned into a modernist, shameful utopian fantasy.
This kind of depiction of pain before urging people to embrace it is unspeakable!
Ingmar Bergman's ladies at the hospital
clanciai16 January 2018
I saw this film 50 years ago, and already then it impressed me as possibly Ingmar Bergman's best film. It's the closest he ever got to a documentary, and the whole film is shatteringly replenished with intimate close-ups of three mothers at the last stage of the most interesting condition for a woman, two of them giving births, the third being there after a failed abortion. There are other women as well, some nurses and two female visitors but very few men, four altogether, two of them being doctors and two husbands, a failed one and Max von Sydow. The finest acting is presented by Ingrid Thulin, who introduces the film with her passionate and shattering martyrdom and who stays the dominating element of the film although only resignedly from the background; but all these characters are given their own life and space and important part in this every day shattering drama of life, death and birth in totally organic realism.
Seeing it again after 50 years and on the centennial of Ingmar Bergman's birth. it roused an enormous interest in Bergman's other early films from the 50s, which used to be his best, but this is still for me number one.
Seeing it again after 50 years and on the centennial of Ingmar Bergman's birth. it roused an enormous interest in Bergman's other early films from the 50s, which used to be his best, but this is still for me number one.
Life in death.
sunheadbowed24 January 2017
'Brink of Life' (aka. 'So Close to Life') is a gripping, fairly early minor work from quite possibly the most consistently rewarding film maker of emotional drama that ever lived.
Three women from very different worlds find themselves in the same maternity ward, confronting different dilemmas in the face of the human race's oldest routine.
While Bergman's films are almost always bleak portrayals of suffering and confrontation, his films also remind us that suffering can be as fleeting as happiness; despair can be replaced by strength, just as certified happiness can face unexpected disaster. There is a comfort in his sadness, a powerful reminder of existence, even when it hurts.
Bergman favourites are featured: the always incredible Ingrid Thulin shines, as does Bibi Andersson in the role of a confused and insecure young unmarried mother-to-be. Eva Dahlbeck perhaps steals the show with her portrayal of trauma.
Three women from very different worlds find themselves in the same maternity ward, confronting different dilemmas in the face of the human race's oldest routine.
While Bergman's films are almost always bleak portrayals of suffering and confrontation, his films also remind us that suffering can be as fleeting as happiness; despair can be replaced by strength, just as certified happiness can face unexpected disaster. There is a comfort in his sadness, a powerful reminder of existence, even when it hurts.
Bergman favourites are featured: the always incredible Ingrid Thulin shines, as does Bibi Andersson in the role of a confused and insecure young unmarried mother-to-be. Eva Dahlbeck perhaps steals the show with her portrayal of trauma.
An unjustly forgotten Bergman
frankde-jong12 April 2023
In 2023 I have composed an early Bergman program for myself. I watched "Brink of life" in the context of this program, but strictly speaking it is not an early Bergman. It was made after "The seventh seal" (1957) and "Wild strawberries" (1957).
It certainly is a forgotten Bergman and that is strange because at the filmfestival in Cannes the film was overloaded with awards. Ingmar Bergman got the best director award and the three lead actresses together with a supporting actress collectively got the award for best actress.
After seeing the film my conclusion is that it is unjustly forgotten. It is about three women (played by Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson and Eva Dahlbeck) in a maternity hospital. The film tells the stories of their pregnancy's and their emotions about becoming mother. The film is very modern in that motherhood is not portrayed as a sort of holy grail for each woman. Some women are afraid of the responsibilities it entails.
As follows from the story, the leading characters are women. Men play a very minor role in this film and are more often than not unsympathetic. This applies to husbands, lovers and doctors alike. In this respect "Brink of life" is at the cradle of later (and more well known) womenmovies of Ingmar Bergman such as "Persona" (1966), Cries and whispers" (1972) and "Autumn sonata" (1978).
The film is situated for a great deal in one room of the maternity hospital. In this respect it resembles "12 angry men" (1957, Sidney Lumet). This requirs strong acting performances, which both films amply provide. The maternity hospital is moreover a very sterile environment, with which the human emotions of the actresses contrast sharply.
It certainly is a forgotten Bergman and that is strange because at the filmfestival in Cannes the film was overloaded with awards. Ingmar Bergman got the best director award and the three lead actresses together with a supporting actress collectively got the award for best actress.
After seeing the film my conclusion is that it is unjustly forgotten. It is about three women (played by Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson and Eva Dahlbeck) in a maternity hospital. The film tells the stories of their pregnancy's and their emotions about becoming mother. The film is very modern in that motherhood is not portrayed as a sort of holy grail for each woman. Some women are afraid of the responsibilities it entails.
As follows from the story, the leading characters are women. Men play a very minor role in this film and are more often than not unsympathetic. This applies to husbands, lovers and doctors alike. In this respect "Brink of life" is at the cradle of later (and more well known) womenmovies of Ingmar Bergman such as "Persona" (1966), Cries and whispers" (1972) and "Autumn sonata" (1978).
The film is situated for a great deal in one room of the maternity hospital. In this respect it resembles "12 angry men" (1957, Sidney Lumet). This requirs strong acting performances, which both films amply provide. The maternity hospital is moreover a very sterile environment, with which the human emotions of the actresses contrast sharply.
Mothers-to-be or not to be.
brogmiller3 September 2022
Considered by most to be a 'marginal' work, its director was himself rather dismissive. He is on record as saying "Altogether the film isn't much and the actresses are its biggest asset". Unsurprisingly all four of its leading actresses, Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson, Eva Dahlbeck and Barbro Hiort af Ornas received a 'collective award' at Cannes for their astonishing performances whilst Bergman, ironically, was recognised as Best Director for the only time at that particular Festival.
Adapted by Ulla Isaksson from her short story, this is to my knowledge Bergman's first film in which dialogue and characterisation take precedence over scenery and locations. It is decidedly non-cinematic and indeed looks forward to his later work in television. Already in evidence of course is Bergman's masterful use of close-ups which in the case of Thulin as Cecilia and especially the Stina of Dahlbeck is utterly merciless. Miss Thulin would be no stranger to these microscopic examinations in her later films for Bergman whilst this is sadly the last time that Miss Dahlbeck would appear for this director. Although not in the original story the character of Hjordis has been created by Bergman for his current muse, the gifted Bibi Andersson. As Nurse Brita this is Miss Ornas' finest hour for Bergman and although he used her again, many of her subsequent appearances were uncredited. In his first credited role for Bergman as Cecilia's disdainful husband, Erland Josephson would later prove perfect casting in 'Scenes from a Marriage'. As Stina's husband we have an unusually light-hearted Max von Sydow and theirs is one of the few happy marriages in Bergman's output. The director did not exactly gel with cinematographer Max Wilen and this is the first and last time they would work together.
The setting is a singularly inhospitable hospital, the subject matter is harrowing and Bergman's treatment is suitably taut and clinical without a trace of sentimentality, in keeping with Isaksson's "some are called to live whilst others are called to die". It does end on an optimistic note however as Cecilia realises that she is probably not cut out for motherhood, Hjordis resolves to have her previously unwanted child and Stina is left to hope that she will be luckier next time around.
Coming as it does after 'Wild Strawberries' and before 'The Magician', this has been unfairly labelled as a minor, in-between work. It deserves better.
Adapted by Ulla Isaksson from her short story, this is to my knowledge Bergman's first film in which dialogue and characterisation take precedence over scenery and locations. It is decidedly non-cinematic and indeed looks forward to his later work in television. Already in evidence of course is Bergman's masterful use of close-ups which in the case of Thulin as Cecilia and especially the Stina of Dahlbeck is utterly merciless. Miss Thulin would be no stranger to these microscopic examinations in her later films for Bergman whilst this is sadly the last time that Miss Dahlbeck would appear for this director. Although not in the original story the character of Hjordis has been created by Bergman for his current muse, the gifted Bibi Andersson. As Nurse Brita this is Miss Ornas' finest hour for Bergman and although he used her again, many of her subsequent appearances were uncredited. In his first credited role for Bergman as Cecilia's disdainful husband, Erland Josephson would later prove perfect casting in 'Scenes from a Marriage'. As Stina's husband we have an unusually light-hearted Max von Sydow and theirs is one of the few happy marriages in Bergman's output. The director did not exactly gel with cinematographer Max Wilen and this is the first and last time they would work together.
The setting is a singularly inhospitable hospital, the subject matter is harrowing and Bergman's treatment is suitably taut and clinical without a trace of sentimentality, in keeping with Isaksson's "some are called to live whilst others are called to die". It does end on an optimistic note however as Cecilia realises that she is probably not cut out for motherhood, Hjordis resolves to have her previously unwanted child and Stina is left to hope that she will be luckier next time around.
Coming as it does after 'Wild Strawberries' and before 'The Magician', this has been unfairly labelled as a minor, in-between work. It deserves better.
Overlooked, spectacular film
gizmomogwai12 December 2018
Brink of Life is a film title rarely commented on when the topic of classic Ingmar Bergman is discussed, and is little seen today. There are only eight reviews here. After seeing it for the first time in Criterion's Ingmar Bergman's Cinema boxset, I'm left baffled as to how that's the case. Its four leading actresses each took home Best Actress Awards from the Cannes Film Festival, where Bergman himself also picked up a nod for Best Director. The cast includes some heavy hitters: Max Von Sydow and a barely recognizable (except by voice) Erland Josephson. Why was this film forgotten?
Particularly, Ingrid Thulin's performance is magnificent, among the best of her career with the acclaimed director. Bibi Andersson, presented as less than pure as she is often depicted in Bergman's filmography, also makes an impression in a different light. The film itself holds up particularly well; in exploring the situation of three women struggling with pregnancies between varying degrees of wanted and unwanted, the drama can be powerful and the story is kind of timeless.
Particularly, Ingrid Thulin's performance is magnificent, among the best of her career with the acclaimed director. Bibi Andersson, presented as less than pure as she is often depicted in Bergman's filmography, also makes an impression in a different light. The film itself holds up particularly well; in exploring the situation of three women struggling with pregnancies between varying degrees of wanted and unwanted, the drama can be powerful and the story is kind of timeless.
So close and yet so far... the miracle of life haunted by the impending shadow of death...
ElMaruecan8222 May 2022
Three women, Cecilia (Cissi), Hjörsid and Stina find themselves together in the maternity ward, they're all pregnant but the situations are different. Sadly enough, so are the outcomes.
Indeed, we all took the 'miracle' of life for granted, a proof of God's almighty existence. How about miscarriage then? Does it conjure up our faith? A rational mind would look for medical reasons, a religious one for someone to blame... but sometimes, even reason is powerless and can't hold back the floods of guilt pouring over the heart.
And so the point is less to bring the right answers but the most comforting ones. This is why there's a fourth important protagonist in the head nurse Brita (Barbro Hiort af Ornäs) who's learned to deal with the irrational excesses of pregnant women especially in the latest phases: guilt, grief, joy... as a guardian angel, not a God-like figure for God's absence is a Bergmanian trope.
The film opens with Cissi (Ingrid Thullin) whose blood between her legs leaves no room for optimism. Her husband (Erland Josephson) blabbers some encouraging words but way too civilized and not too anxious to be sincere. It doesn't matter, if a mother can feel the deliverance from the pain, she can feel the loss as well. The film opens with a tragedy foreshadowed by the little doll dropped by a girl, Cissi is brought in the examination room, left alone for a while, so we can feel her loneliness and asked those cold and clinical questions that contain the administrative necessities of a hospital. Later, a doctor comes, from his stern look Cissi knows she's lost her child.
The doctor (Gunnar Sjöberg) insists the baby was doomed, her thoughts were far beyond these considerations. The death of her child marks the end of her failed marriage that she blames. Her husband didn't like her enough and she didn't have the strength to carry on. Maybe under the effect of medics, she delivers a long monologue to Nurse Brita accusing herself for the loss of her child, from the black-and-white contrast, the intensity of the closeup and her breathless delivery, it looks like a deathbed confession. But that's the point, any endeavor in the name of life is haunted by the scepter of death.
And as I said for "The Seventh Seal", death is tragic but it's more sincere than God. It is present at least and it triggers direct reactions, in Cissi's case: a divorce. Oddly enough, happy events never strike us as worthy of metaphysical explanations, but we all look for a meaning to sadness or tragedies, as if the idea of a randomly cruel destiny would be more unbearable than the cruelty itself. Now, I doubt there's a delight in Bergman's desire to confront his heroines to the cruelty of destiny but he does highlight some ironies that can be tough to handle.
Among the patients, there's the young Hjördis (Bibi Andersson) a gamin-like girl, who failed to sabotage her pregnancy, her child resisted... her counsellor (Ann-Marie Gyllenspetz) begged her to embrace her maternity, arguing that the social welfare had made progresses, pregnancy out of wedlock isn't taboo anymore and from her insistance, it's guessable that she doesn't have the key for that treasure the childlike free-spirited Hjördis insolently throws to the bin. She doesn't care, she doesn't find babies adorables and doesn't understand why she should be enthused by the perspective of bringing someone to life when she knows how much of a burden it is.
Finally there's Stina (Eve Dhalbeck) who is so eager to have a child, she's almost dizzy of happiness, she talks with her child, confident that he's a boy, she's so happy that even Cissi doesn't envy her. If there's ever a woman who deserves to be a mother, it's her... and God would be quite cruel if things didn't go as expected. And so our anxiety is proportional to her excitement and let's say the outcome of her pregnancy can be considered as happy, that if you consider the Lord's mysterious ways. It's not a "giveth and taketh" thing but Bergman finds a powerful way to make these three storylines converge toward a satisfying conclusion.
"Brink of Life" is a simple yet complex exploration of the pervert waltz between life and death in birth. It's not just about the death of the child but the way it can mark the symbolic birth of a new person within the mother. At the end, one woman gets resigned, one toughens up and one softens... so it can't be that bad. But Bergman is not making a statement against mariage, Stina form such a happy couple with Harry (Max Von Sydow), nor an ode to celibacy, Cissi's sister-in-law (Inga Landgré) finds the right words to warn her against the temptation of loneliness. Finally, one can't accuse the ultimate 'existence-is-a-burden' director to be pro-life.
In fact, there's more life in the film than what the review suggests, the three women are like born-again through pregnancy, playing like little girls pampering and brushing each other, or crying in one's shoulder (we get many Pieta shots that predicts the iconic nurse shot in "Cries and Whispers"). One of the most inspiring moments is when Hjördis calls her mother and asks for Brita to hold her hand. If not on God, we can always keep our faith on mothers, at least they do answer... it was a nice touch to conclude this harrowing film with a light of hope. And fittingly, the four actress won a collective prize at Cannes Festival, and Bergman one for Best Director.
As a man, Bergman should be the least entitled to philosophize around the subject of pregnancy. But the power of his camera work, the hard-hitting truth of Ulla Isaakson's writing and the powerhouse performances of the four actresses contributed to one of the best films about pregnancy, as a double-edged blessing or an existential burden, or both.
Indeed, we all took the 'miracle' of life for granted, a proof of God's almighty existence. How about miscarriage then? Does it conjure up our faith? A rational mind would look for medical reasons, a religious one for someone to blame... but sometimes, even reason is powerless and can't hold back the floods of guilt pouring over the heart.
And so the point is less to bring the right answers but the most comforting ones. This is why there's a fourth important protagonist in the head nurse Brita (Barbro Hiort af Ornäs) who's learned to deal with the irrational excesses of pregnant women especially in the latest phases: guilt, grief, joy... as a guardian angel, not a God-like figure for God's absence is a Bergmanian trope.
The film opens with Cissi (Ingrid Thullin) whose blood between her legs leaves no room for optimism. Her husband (Erland Josephson) blabbers some encouraging words but way too civilized and not too anxious to be sincere. It doesn't matter, if a mother can feel the deliverance from the pain, she can feel the loss as well. The film opens with a tragedy foreshadowed by the little doll dropped by a girl, Cissi is brought in the examination room, left alone for a while, so we can feel her loneliness and asked those cold and clinical questions that contain the administrative necessities of a hospital. Later, a doctor comes, from his stern look Cissi knows she's lost her child.
The doctor (Gunnar Sjöberg) insists the baby was doomed, her thoughts were far beyond these considerations. The death of her child marks the end of her failed marriage that she blames. Her husband didn't like her enough and she didn't have the strength to carry on. Maybe under the effect of medics, she delivers a long monologue to Nurse Brita accusing herself for the loss of her child, from the black-and-white contrast, the intensity of the closeup and her breathless delivery, it looks like a deathbed confession. But that's the point, any endeavor in the name of life is haunted by the scepter of death.
And as I said for "The Seventh Seal", death is tragic but it's more sincere than God. It is present at least and it triggers direct reactions, in Cissi's case: a divorce. Oddly enough, happy events never strike us as worthy of metaphysical explanations, but we all look for a meaning to sadness or tragedies, as if the idea of a randomly cruel destiny would be more unbearable than the cruelty itself. Now, I doubt there's a delight in Bergman's desire to confront his heroines to the cruelty of destiny but he does highlight some ironies that can be tough to handle.
Among the patients, there's the young Hjördis (Bibi Andersson) a gamin-like girl, who failed to sabotage her pregnancy, her child resisted... her counsellor (Ann-Marie Gyllenspetz) begged her to embrace her maternity, arguing that the social welfare had made progresses, pregnancy out of wedlock isn't taboo anymore and from her insistance, it's guessable that she doesn't have the key for that treasure the childlike free-spirited Hjördis insolently throws to the bin. She doesn't care, she doesn't find babies adorables and doesn't understand why she should be enthused by the perspective of bringing someone to life when she knows how much of a burden it is.
Finally there's Stina (Eve Dhalbeck) who is so eager to have a child, she's almost dizzy of happiness, she talks with her child, confident that he's a boy, she's so happy that even Cissi doesn't envy her. If there's ever a woman who deserves to be a mother, it's her... and God would be quite cruel if things didn't go as expected. And so our anxiety is proportional to her excitement and let's say the outcome of her pregnancy can be considered as happy, that if you consider the Lord's mysterious ways. It's not a "giveth and taketh" thing but Bergman finds a powerful way to make these three storylines converge toward a satisfying conclusion.
"Brink of Life" is a simple yet complex exploration of the pervert waltz between life and death in birth. It's not just about the death of the child but the way it can mark the symbolic birth of a new person within the mother. At the end, one woman gets resigned, one toughens up and one softens... so it can't be that bad. But Bergman is not making a statement against mariage, Stina form such a happy couple with Harry (Max Von Sydow), nor an ode to celibacy, Cissi's sister-in-law (Inga Landgré) finds the right words to warn her against the temptation of loneliness. Finally, one can't accuse the ultimate 'existence-is-a-burden' director to be pro-life.
In fact, there's more life in the film than what the review suggests, the three women are like born-again through pregnancy, playing like little girls pampering and brushing each other, or crying in one's shoulder (we get many Pieta shots that predicts the iconic nurse shot in "Cries and Whispers"). One of the most inspiring moments is when Hjördis calls her mother and asks for Brita to hold her hand. If not on God, we can always keep our faith on mothers, at least they do answer... it was a nice touch to conclude this harrowing film with a light of hope. And fittingly, the four actress won a collective prize at Cannes Festival, and Bergman one for Best Director.
As a man, Bergman should be the least entitled to philosophize around the subject of pregnancy. But the power of his camera work, the hard-hitting truth of Ulla Isaakson's writing and the powerhouse performances of the four actresses contributed to one of the best films about pregnancy, as a double-edged blessing or an existential burden, or both.
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