So Close to Life [Nära livet] [Brink of Life] **** (1958, Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson) – Classic Movie Review 9923

Director Ingmar Bergman’s 1958 Swedish drama film So Close to Life [Nära livet] [Brink of Life] is one of his least well known and least popular films, but it turns out to have much to recommend it, not least its three star performances, but also Ulla Isaksson’s deep-digging, exploratory screenplay.

Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin and Bibi Andersson play women with varying degrees of wanted or unwanted babies in a maternity ward who share their life stories and thoughts, while struggling with their pregnancies.

It had what they call mixed reviews from critics, but nevertheless Bergman won the Best Director Award at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, while Bibi Andersson, Eva Dahlbeck, Barbro Hiort af Ornäs and Ingrid Thulin won the Best Actress Award.

Ulla Isaksson provides the revealing screenplay, based on the novels Det vänliga, värdiga and Det orubbliga (uncredited). But, with its uncredited writing by Bergman, the film says a lot about Bergman’s fascination with women as well as his troubled relationships with them. The film is chilly, austere and disturbing.

It stars Eva Dahlbeck as Stina Andersson, Ingrid Thulin as Cecilia Ellius, Bibi Andersson as Hjördis Petterson, Barbro Hiort af Ornäs as Nurse Brita, Erland Josephson as Anders Ellius, Max von Sydow as Harry Andersson, Gunnar Sjöberg as Dr Nordlander, Ann-Marie Gyllenspetz as Counsellor Gran and Inga Landgré as Greta Ellius.

Ulla Isaksson went on to write the screenplay for The Virgin Spring (1960).

So Close to Life [Nära livet] [Brink of Life] runs 84 minutes, is made by Nordisk Tonefilm and Inter-American Productions, and is shot in black and white by Max Wilén. There is no musical score.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9923

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