The Cinematheque

Bergman took great risks with this sexually frank, formally daring drama, one of his most controversial works. Ingrid Thulin and Gunnel Lindblom are sisters Ester (sickly) and Anna (lusty), travelling, with Anna’s young son, in a war-torn foreign country whose language is incomprehensible to them. Ester’s ill-health forces the trio to hole up in a deserted grand hotel (the only other guests are a troupe of dwarves!), where tensions between the desperate sisters play out in various sexual ways. Following Through a Glass Darkly and Winter Light, The Silence concludes Bergman’s ​“Faith” trilogy—three shattering, darkly-metaphysical works about the search for meaning and meaningful connection in a senseless, Godless universe. The film’s explicit eroticism and taboo themes (lesbianism, incest) shocked audiences, incited intense debate about censorship—and resulted in huge box-office! The powerful performances, striking sound design, and exquisite camerawork (by Sven Nykvist) still impress.