Analysis of the Four Dreams in Bergman's "Wild Strawberries"

Spoilers

"Images: My Life in Film" is a memoir-style anthology by the Swedish master Ingmar Bergman, offering a self-reflective analysis of his life and personal interpretations of his film works. The first article focuses on Bergman's autobiographical psychological film "Wild Strawberries." This film is renowned for its exquisite use of light and shadow, a technical feat that continues to captivate audiences even in our 21st-century digital age, allowing us to feel the texture of black-and-white film. Moreover, the film seamlessly blends Bergman's psychological insights, using his father's image as a facade—an aspect thoroughly understood and integrated into the personal experience of the protagonist, Victor. Both the emotional and technical aspects of the film are masterfully presented.

"Wild Strawberries" opens with Isak Borg, played by Victor Sjöström, writing in his diary. Accompanied by a man and his dog, the gentle play of light and shadow complements the old man's methodical monologue, giving the impression of a quiet and warm film. However, this initial tranquility is deceptive. The protagonist's name, Isak Borg—whose initials, IB, evoke the words "ice" and "borg" (fortress in Swedish)—along with his monologue, "This is why I am isolated from almost all so-called interpersonal relationships," sets a melancholic tone right from the start. The film's four dream sequences are particularly noteworthy, and I have provided a brief summary:

These dreams are mostly credible and real: the hearse overturns, the coffin bursts open, the miserable final exams at school, and the wife who openly commits adultery.

Macroscopic Externalization of a Lonely Life

The first dream involves a four-part encounter with objects: a clock without hands, a face without features, an unmanned hearse, and oneself lying in a coffin.

It uses coarse-grained film (typically used for news and documentaries) which paradoxically creates an excessively unreal feeling. The reversal of light and shadow first creates a suppressive atmosphere for the film, allowing this dream to detach from life.

The clock without hands symbolizes the poor control of time; for most scenes, its passing or not passing may make no difference. The faceless people represent most of our encounters in life; the appearance of unhurried or hurried passersby actually has little relevance to us. The unmanned hearse represents much of our reckless behavior or can be interpreted as work that isn't cared about. The self in the coffin is our ultimate destination - you must believe that at the right time, you will always be pulled into the abyss.

This kind of macroscopic symbolic meaning summarizes most of our life states. We are usually accustomed to it, yet we feel a sudden palpitation in its sudden externalization (not letting you see faces if you can't remember them, etc.). From the old man's perspective, this is also a completely lonely encounter in his lonely life.

Youthful Love Regrets: A Self-Analysis Guided by Dreams

The second dream originates from Isak's love regrets in his youth.

Why did his girlfriend suddenly become his brother's wife, I think even the elderly Isak still doesn't understand and remains troubled by it. The film uses the dream as a cover to externalize the reasons for all this happening, using my analysis as a catalyst. On the surface, it's the brother's active provocation and flirtation, but in essence, it's a fundamental estrangement between the two:

Isak is so fine and good, so moral and sensitive. He wants us to read poetry. And he only wants to kiss in the dark, and he talks about sin. He's on such a terribly high level, and I feel so worthless. And I am worthless - there's no denying it. But sometimes it seems to me that I'm a lot older than Isak.

I believe these are two fatal points in love. The man's aloofness and reserve can easily push the woman, who needs love and romance, towards others. And if the already disadvantaged woman still needs to accommodate and yield to her partner without limits, it's not surprising that she leaves.

But Isak didn't understand this at the time. He categorized it as a betrayal of love. This is a regret in his life, and even the trigger for his increasing coldness, one of the reasons for his later marital failure: his trust was more or less depleted.

Yet it is here that he shows his most heartfelt smile. "This is where the Wild Strawberries grow!" It is the most positive and sacred corner of his mind, even though it has caused him pain. It is the place where his expectations and love are stored.

The Most Perplexing Inner State of the Middle Age

The third dream has obvious dream characteristics, it's a bizarre and illogical two-part story: a sudden exam and catching his wife openly cheating.

Everything is uneasy during the exam: unable to recognize words, unable to use the microscope, facing an unknown judgment. The wife's infidelity is cold and painful: he has to forgive her, it's a heartbreaking thorn.

The exam is related to childhood shadows. M, and moreover,oreover, it represents the anxiety of the unknown and uncontrollable forces in the middle ages. The problems he faces in middle age, such as work issues, are like exams, and the marital problems he faces are also like exams - failing means punishment.

Tracing back to the source, the script for this film was written during Ingmar Bergman's unfortunate period in his marriage, when he had separated from his third wife and was still feeling the pain.

"To love someone you absolutely cannot get along with is truly a strange experience."

However, the film completely attributes this misfortune to his responsibility, with the wife being merely a victim of his coldness and indifference:

(This is the wife's monologue after her affair): "Now I'll go home and tell Isak. I know what he'll say. 'My poor girl, I'm sorry for you.' Just as if he were God. Then I'll weep and say, 'do you really feel sorry for me?' He'll say, 'Yes, very sorry.' Then I'll weep even more and ask him to forgive me. He'll say, 'You mustn't beg my forgiveness. There is nothing to forgive.' But he doesn't mean a word he says, because he's cold as ice.” Karin and the man she is having an affair with suddenly disappear and Isak asks Alma where they have gone too. Alma says, "gone...all gone. Removed by an operation Professor. A surgical masterpiece. No pain.

Nothing that bleeds or trembles." Isak asks what the punishment for this is and Alma answers, "loneliness."

In the Final Days, Choosing Family and Love

The fourth dream breaks through the barriers of detachment present in the previous three, with Sara taking his hand and leading him toward the paradise island where his parents reside.

Tracing back to the source, at that time Ingmar Bergman was in painful conflict with his parents, unable to communicate with his father, and even though he could temporarily reconcile with his mother, deep-seated resentments remained.

At that time, he could be certain that his mother didn't want to give birth to him: I was born from a cold womb, and my birth caused both physical and psychological crises. My mother always had a strong mix of love and hate towards her weak and pitiful son.

Apart from the dreams, the entire story is divided into two threads. One is the old man's journey by car to receive a medal, which manifests in various forms: defects, poverty, emptiness, and lack of forgiveness. The other is the three young hitchhikers, who present vitality, energy, restlessness, and reconciliation in contrast. Looking at the old man's life as a whole, even without equating it to Ingmar Bergman's own life experiences, we can easily draw a rough summary:

He had a calculat and cold mother, and an introverted personality that struggled with expression. Due to his personality, he was abandoned by his first love, and because he became increasingly aloof, he experienced his wife's infidelity. This vicious cycle of coldness prevented him from receiving love and gratitude even from his own son. He cut off unnecessary worldly entanglements and rejected excessive social interactions. His later years became increasingly lonely... Being treated coldly from childhood was his original sin that caused him to become cold.

However, "Wild Strawberries" also offers two glimmers of hope in life: one is the resilience and kindness of the daughter-in-law, and the other is the old man's journey of repentance and self-redemption. The daughter-in-law is resilient and brave, as if she has armed herself with the strength and courage needed to face challenges for the sake of her unborn child. She is kind but not weak, gentle yet decisive, understanding love while remaining sensible. She will use her strength to break the cycle of coldness passed down through generations. The old man's later attempts to change, however, ultimately prove futile. He tries to communicate with his son, who, though he compromises for his wife's sake, neither accepts nor desires his father's consolation. He tries to grow closer to the maid but is rebuffed, as his years of behavior and social conventions have left an indelible impression. Despite these setbacks, the true beneficiary is his inner self. Even as he nears the end of his life, he is able to reclaim a cherished dream from his youth. As Ingmar Bergman reflects in his autobiography: "One thread runs through the story in multiple variations: shortcomings, poverty, emptiness, and the absence of grace. I didn’t know then, and even today I don't fully know, how through Wild Strawberries I was pleading with my parents: see me, understand me, and—if possible—forgive me.

I remember when they just got in the car, the daughter-in-law asked the old man: "And what vices may a woman have?"

Isak: "Weeping, giving birth and speaking ill of her neighbors."

But I still love you, and don't regret being born because of you.

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