About

I didn't know then, and even today I don't know fully, how through 'Wild Strawberries' I was pleading with my parents: see me, understand me, and – if possible – forgive me.

Wild Strawberries will screen from an archival 35mm film print.

In one of the great one-two punches in cinema history, Ingmar Bergman would book-end 1957 with first the release of The Seventh Seal and then later an equal masterwork, Wild Strawberries. Victor Sjöström, director of Bergman's major cinematic inspiration The Phantom Carriage 1921, stars in the lead role of Professor Isak Borg, an elderly physician set to receive an honour from his alma mater. The car journey he makes to travel to the ceremony triggers a series of dreams and introspective reminiscences that cause him to contemplate his life and re-evaluate his own character.

Sjöström's final screen performance – imposing yet tender, cruel but vulnerable – powers the film. It is a bittersweet portrait of aging, regret, and acceptance. Wild Strawberries confirmed Bergman could not only act as a high-minded firebrand but that he held an exceptional understanding of the complexities of the human spirit.

PG | Mild themes

Wild Strawberries also screens on Wed 15 March at 6.00pm