Three passengers suffocate in the
sweltering heat of a confining train cabin, travelling through a foreign
country, seemingly on the brink of war: a fragile translator, Esther
(Ingrid Thulin), her sister Anna (Gunnel Lindblom), and Anna's son Johan
(Jorgen Lindstrom). Suffering from a bronchial attack, Esther checks
into a hotel room, with Anna and Johan occupying the adjoining suite.
Soon, Esther's excessive attachment proves too stifling for the sensual
Anna, who leaves them and goes to a night club. The bed-ridden Esther
indulges herself with cigarettes and alcohol, attempting to suppress her
pain. Johan is left to his own devises and explores the near desolate
hotel, encountering a kind, elderly hotel manager, and a dwarf carnival
troupe. Distant at first towards his ailing aunt, Johan inevitably
develops an understanding towards her, drawn together by their mutual
love for Anna and sense of abandonment. The following day, still unable
to travel, Esther gives Johan a letter containing a list of helpful
translations for their journey, and she is left
behind.
The Silence, Ingmar Bergman's
final installment in his chamber series, is arguably the most abstract
and nihilistic film of the trilogy. As Winter
Light explored spiritual bankruptcy, The
Silence is an examination of emotional isolation in a world
without God - where salvation lies in human connection. Figuratively,
Esther has the linguistical faculties to communicate, but physical
frailty and fear of rejection prevent her from being understood. Anna,
on the other hand, seeks emotional intimacy through physical contact,
and is also, invariably, misunderstood. Thematically, Bergman conveys
alienation through geography, partitions, darkness, and non-confronting
dialogue. The use of mirrors further provides discontinuity, creating a
sense of distance. Note the use of Esther's mirror image in her
"dialogue" with the hotel manager as she attempts to order another
bottle of liquor, emphasizing the language barrier. Another scene shows
Esther observing Anna's reflection from the adjoining room as she washes
her face, suggesting the fractured intimacy between them. After a
prolonged, convulsive attack, Esther implores God to allow her to die in
her own homeland. In the end, she is left to die, alone and suffering,
in a strange land: unanswered prayers by an absent
God.
© Acquarello 1999. All rights
reserved.
From www.filmref.com
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