Autumn Sonata: Höstsonaten (1978)

Autumn Sonata is about a failed mother-daughter relationship. The mother Charlotte Andergast (Ingrid Bergman), a well-known concert pianist, who cared more about her career than having a relationship with both her husband and children. She was neglectful and dismissive to her children, Eva who is the eldest (Liv Ullman) and Helena who is mentally and physically disabled (Lena Nyman), who desperately wanted and needed her affection. Being as selfish as she was, she was not aware of how damaging her consistent neglect was for her children. 

Eva invites Charlotte to come for a visit at her country home that she lives at with her husband Viktor (Halvar Björk) after she learns that her long time partner, Leonardo, has passed away. Charlotte agrees to come for the visit. Once she arrives, she learns that Helena has been staying with Eva for the past couple of years. This is a shock to her because she had put her into an institution to be taken care of. As Eva and Charlotte spend time together, the tension between them slowly seems to build up. Then, one night the tension seems to explode between them and the two have a long conversation about Charlotte's selfishness and how it has affected Eva's entire life, as well as others.

This is the second Ingmar Bergman film that I've watched. Now, I'm obsessed. I must see more of his films! He creates very interesting characters that have a lot of realism to them, that it's easy to identify with them. His technique of storytelling is also very engaging. Autumn Sonata is an excellent film. The acting is superb, but who would expect less with Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann? The amount of emotion that was exhibited in their performances is what really made the film worth watching.