(Ingmar Bergman, Sweden 1966, 83 min., 35mm, Swedish with English subtitles)
Bergman’s once and future muses star together in this psychological drama examining the nature of identity. A young actress, Elisabet (Liv Ullmann), has suddenly stopped moving and speaking, leading to a stay in a hospital. Believing that this is an illness of the mind, the doctors charge a nurse, Alma (Bibi Andersson), with taking Elisabet to a remote cottage and caring for her there. At the cottage, Elisabet seems to improve, but Alma feels the need to fill her silence and begins to reveal secrets about herself. As the tension rises between the two women, they start to mirror each other to the point where even Elisabet’s husband doesn’t know the difference, leading to a shocking and radical finale. An inspiration to countless films from 3 Women to Mulholland Dr., it also contains a monologue by Andersson that is considered one of the most erotic sequences in the history of motion pictures.
Upcoming Events in this Series
Film Screenings | The Dream & the Lie (DCP)
A Summer Trip through Europe(an Cinema) Designed as a three-channel installation, this cinematic version of Elena Dorfman’s debut film takes a deep dive into the hidden history of Albanian film. The Albanians established their Kinostudio with the help of the Russians, and went on to produce more than three hundred feature films and thousands of newsreels and documentaries — all of which were state sponsored and censored.
Film Screenings | L’Avventura (35mm)
A Summer Trip Through Europe(an Cinema) Largely considered Antonioni’s breakthrough masterpiece, L’Avventura marked the director’s transition into his trademark deliberate pacing and careful composition. Based on a story written by Antonioni, the film chronicles the search for a woman whose disappearance leads to an illicit romance between her lover and her best friend.
Film Screenings | Celine and Julie Go Boating (DCP)
A Summer Trip through Europe(an Cinema) “Usually, it began like this…” Jacques Rivette’s recursive, surreal, haunted house film plays with narrative in ways never before seen on-screen, and in the process influenced dozens of filmmakers, from David Lynch to Richard Linklater and Olivier Assayas.