I love how both sides of the war are completely indistinguishable from each other—they make the same accusations, they use the same tactics of coercion, and they tear the same families apart. Maybe both sides have their differences ideologically, but for the people on the ground, their lives are destroyed regardless. I find films that ignore the conflict around which the war began (such as Come and See, The Cranes are Flying, and The Ascent) help remedy the prevailing tendencies of more popular media by centering the impact rather than the mechanics of the war. Save all your justifications for foreign intervention and why we need to invade this or that oil-rich country for another day—what really matters in cinema is the consequences, the pains borne by real people.
Typically I appreciate Bergman’s pre-Fanny-and-Alexander brevity, but I felt like this one wrapped up a little quickly. It’s distressing how swiftly they cut from one of Nykvist’s beautiful shots to another. Nevertheless incredible work, and I think it could be a great companion with Meghe Dhaka Tara for a lesson on how to shoot low-light sequences on film.