Friday, August 2, 2013

Summer Interlude (1951)

Svensk Filmindustri (Sweden)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

A ballerina nearing the end of her career at the ripe old age of 28 looks back at her first love. It takes place during an idyllic summer in the Swedish countryside. Maj-Britt Nilsson and Birger Malmsten are teenagers experiencing their sexual awakening amidst days spent swimming in the lake, walking through meadows and long nights whispering in a remote cottage. He is the brooding type, she is the moody artist type, so they tend to talk a little too much and dwell on depressing subjects. It all ends with an unexpected accident and tragedy. The wraparound story which takes place in the present almost seems like an afterthought, as she struggles to deal with her past heartbreak and how it shapes her relationship with a journalist. However, the summer scenes are magical and pure Bergman.

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