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Autumn Sonata

Autumn Sonata

1978
Drama, Music
1h 39m
After having neglected her children for many years, world famous pianist Charlotte visits her daughter Eva in her home.
Your probable score
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Autumn Sonata

1978
Drama, Music
1h 39m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 76.51% from 1617 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1617)
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Rated 07 Nov 2007
95
98th
An immensely harrowing chamber drama. Not only does the awesome text reach emotional extremes, but these extremes are successfully delivered through absolutely masterful acting from the entire cast, which Bergman incessantly shoots in closeup. This choice of cinematography grabs you by the throat, pulls you very near and never lets you distance yourself. It constantly, forcefully confronts you with expressions, feelings and reactions. Watching this is one strong experience.
Rated 12 Jan 2009
98
93rd
Ingmar Bergman = god
Rated 26 Dec 2011
10
96th
If you want to watch a movie about a strained relationship between a parent and child, Autumn Sonata is without peer.
Rated 07 Sep 2016
82
91st
Is it the same for everybody? Do some people have a greater talent for living than others or do some people never live, but just exist?
Rated 12 Apr 2008
3
38th
It's a good movie on the whole...but I didn't feel it entirely. For one, Eva seems a bit bratty and I found her more than a little unsympathetic as a character, and there are some pacing issues as well, with the characters expending all of their energy in the last 20 minutes of the film. What makes it solid are the (as usual) excellent photography from Nykvist and excellent direction from Bergman, as well as its thematic ambiguity.
Rated 27 Apr 2008
93
94th
Autumn Sonata is such an amazing picture. It really grasps you and holds on to you, and forces you to listen to every detail of characterization. The close up's on the faces really give off the vibe that certain character is feeling at the moment, in the most extraordinary way. When I heard that Autumn Sonata had Ingrid Bergman in it as well, I forced myself to get it, and her performance was nothing short of masterful, along with the rest of the cast in this film. Extremely thought provoking.
Rated 11 Mar 2010
6
95th
Pure intensity. Pure Bergman.
Rated 04 Jan 2011
9
98th
Bergman continues to impress. This reminded me of Cries & Whispers, both in terms of its themes of familial discord and its vibrant use of color. I think what really struck me, aside from the brilliant acting, is the script, which is strong even by Bergman's standards. The conversations between Charlotte & Eva are among the best he's ever written. I didn't care much for the fourth-wall breaking, but it works much better here than it did in The Passion of Anna, and everything else is golden.
Rated 22 Sep 2012
80
86th
The script, though occasionally close to being thematically too spelled out, is remarkable. But I thought it unneccesary to add the tragedy of the sick little sister; it's a bit much and, frankly, very uncomfortable viewing. Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Bergman are, on the other hand, a pleasure to watch. They both give powerhouse performances, and the latter's role as the former's mother is particularly memorable.
Rated 16 Sep 2015
4
74th
On familial alienation, maternal resentment, and airing grievance. With the intensity of Ingmar Bergman's text and the relentless proximity of Sven Nykvist's camera, Ingrid Bergman delivers perhaps the greatest and most heartfelt performance of her already impressive career. It's a testament to Liv Ullmann's talent as well, that she is able to match the iconic actress toe-to-toe.
Rated 05 Feb 2007
90
95th
You can't go wrong with the master Bergman Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann and Sven Nykvist all in one film. And this one is proof.
Rated 24 Feb 2007
90
85th
Ingmar taps into some incredibly true things about the relationship between parent and child. It should go without saying that the acting is excellent. Ingrid Bergman inhabits her role to an uncanny degree. Liv Ullman is very good, too. And Sven Nykvist, he's also great. And Ingmar Bergman is great.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
93
97th
Bergman always does confrontations between women so well. Here it is in its most direct and raw form, a furious outpouring of deep-seated resentment and bitterness, exquisitely realized by the actresses. Helena is a particularly brilliant counterpoint, struggling physically to express herself as the others struggle with it emotionally. The film is done with a minimum of fuss, a little fourth wall-breaking at the start but otherwise very straightforward in the usual Bergman chamber drama style.
Rated 26 Dec 2008
89
91st
harrowing. but masterful, in every single aspect.
Rated 28 Jun 2011
60
53rd
Europeans are weird.
Rated 16 May 2012
82
64th
I'm watching this old woman (Eva's mother, Charlotte) and I'm thinking "Damn, she must've been a knockout back in the day" when there's this side profile shot of her and it hits me: "That nose. INGRID BERGMAN." So what we have is Ingrid Bergman vs. Liv Ullman in a no holds barred act-off with Ingmar Bergman as the referee. gtfo. The early piano scene where they both unwittingly show all their cards is eerie-good.
Rated 21 Dec 2013
7
92nd
you know that watching a bergman will be an intense experience, but this was even more harrowing than normal, with an utterly phenomenal script delivered with extreme power by the mother and daughter. not sure about the narrated bookends, but that's the only thing that really sticks out to me.
Rated 02 Oct 2016
80
86th
The downside of seeking to continuously maximize resolution is that the most minor flaws in acting or characterization, flaws which wouldn't have been and aren't noticed in other films employing lower standards, introduce a disequilibration enough to break dynamic, snapping one out of immersion. In the first half Ullmann is forced into a character she doesn't possess the nature required to act and, when finally relieved of that in the dragged, soapy middle, the progression is implausibly abrupt.
Rated 31 May 2008
82
93rd
When Bergman writes about the genesis of this tale of an artist's parental guilt and a child's resentment, he repeatedly says that it is mysterious and unconnected with anything he was thinking about, even though it occurred to him at the very moment his tax troubles were resolved, which had led him to leave his country for long periods (just like Charlotte). Seems like he protests his ignorance too much: perhaps his own guilty feelings led him to stack the deck against the mother a little here.
Rated 12 Jul 2008
14
4th
Easily the worst Bergman movie I've seen. "Harrowing" is certainly a good word to describe the experience, but in no sense is that a good thing... watching this is like being raped, emotionally.
Rated 02 Sep 2010
92
86th
Gorgeous dialogues. Loved it.
Rated 28 Mar 2011
27
24th
I should probably just accept that i don't really care for Bergman that much and move on, because all of his movies are exactly the same and they never get better...
Rated 30 Mar 2011
95
95th
Probably this film includes the most powerful dialogues in the film history.
Rated 22 Jun 2011
85
93rd
"Höstsonaten" is the quiet triumph of two Bergmans: Ingrid, whose sublime performance is a masterpiece of delivery and precision and Ingmar, whose structurally unadorned but emotionally complex script contrasts his direction that is characterized by sharp simplicity. The result is a tense, involving, relentlessly bleak and highly emotional masterwork that offers plenty of memorable dialogue, compelling characters and masterful acting to more than compensate for its being so utterly depressing.
Rated 12 Jul 2011
99
99th
A gut-wrenching, emotionally draining, jaw-droppingly brilliant masterpiece. Just beautifully performed, with complex, emotionally ravaged relationships, explored masterfully by Bergman and the sensational cast. "Autumn Sonata" absolutely grabs you from the very first second, and doesn't let you go until its very last. Liv Ullman is all kinds of amazing, with the central exchanges between her and Ingrid Bergman truly incredible. My favourite Ingmar Bergman experience to date. Stunning.
Rated 19 Jan 2012
80
90th
The emotion was very palpable. The dialogue was brilliant and was fantastically delivered by the actresses. I thought it was a really great film.
Rated 20 Oct 2013
87
93rd
Devastating.
Rated 12 Nov 2015
84
87th
The eruption of unforetold feelings between an estranged mother and daughter is brought to the fore under the hysterical presence of (Ingrid) Bergman & Ullman, captured in Nykvist's excruciatingly personal framing that nearly threatens their bursting forth through the screen, and commanded with the utmost of confidence by Bergman in his final year as a filmmaker. Yikes.
Rated 04 Jan 2016
85
85th
Powerful, emotional, and real.
Rated 03 Oct 2016
60
44th
I find it rather unsubtle. Way too much verbal emotional drama. Almost silent gazes during piano scene were way more impressive than all those "you did that" quarrels. Too much substance over style.
Rated 15 Nov 2016
100
99th
Oh look a Bergman masterpiece, screw it, it gets a 100. Bergman and Ullmann were powerhouses and their exchanges were mesmerizing, but everyone did well. For example: the look on Ullmann's face in the final exchange with her mom is genuinely haunting.This was emotional and beautiful, with a lot of emphasis on filming the faces of the actors/actresses, but also had some awesome imagery outside of the people. The colours, the shot of Liv walking to her house... brilliant.
Rated 18 Oct 2020
80
54th
Not a masterpiece, but showing as always Bergman's talent in exposing the complexity and ordeal of psychological drama and emotional tension between people. And noticeable that in Bergman's dramas of this kind, the ending never easily boils down to a "happy" resolution. People with an unhappy family life might feel quite some resonance with this film: so much pain and desperation in the impossibility of connection and mutual warmth, and such a late parrhesia.
Rated 25 Jul 2023
84
72nd
There's some good complicated truth here, like in all Bergman films. All performances are great and beautifully captured.
Rated 20 Oct 2023
85
93rd
No filmmaker sticks the knife in and turns it like Bergman. He doesn’t flinch or avert his gaze, even if the audience does so. Every Bergman film that I’ve seen is painful to watch to some degree, and this offering is particularly galling. As the viewer, you are trapped inside a vicarage house and forced to witness a traumatised mother and daughter rip each other to shreds, leaving them both with festering emotional wounds. In an odd way, it's Bergman's version of 'Five Easy Pieces'.
Rated 25 Mar 2007
90
86th
Quiet yet emotionally intense
Rated 11 Nov 2009
40
71st
Bergman's characters suffer from many things, one of them being logorrhea. They talk directly to the camera, they talk solitarily to themselves, they talk to framed photographs, and of course, when given the chance, they talk each other's ears off, but even then their gaze tends to wander into empty space as if tracking an especially monstrous idea or painful memory.
Rated 04 Mar 2010
84
72nd
Very beautiful photography, with an extremely pretty colour scheme. Ullmann and Ingrid Bergman are both brilliant - Ullmann in particular becomes something more than I've ever seen her before, at one point seeming almost inhuman. Good stuff.
Rated 05 Jun 2010
78
94th
-Mother, is my grief your secret pleasure?
Rated 07 Aug 2010
86
36th
Beautiful color palette, immediately recognizable as Bergman, raw and gut-wrenching.
Rated 08 Nov 2010
100
96th
Ingrid Bergman's performance here is the best she ever gave. To my eyes she simply was her character from her first frame on screen. That's no small thing, from one of the most iconic actresses of all time. One the whole, Ingmar Bergman just gets women. That much is clear. But he also shows that he gets the mother-daughter relationship. It's bare bones and brutal here, but he gets it. Oh yeah, and that's EXACTLY what it's like when you sit up all night talking with someone. He nailed it.
Rated 25 Dec 2010
73
83rd
Good Movie
Rated 11 Apr 2012
72
59th
Bergman lectures and manipulates our mind that we are not free to think the opposite, he forces us to hate horrifying mother that i think it was unfair, there were also very long conversations in the same room, on the contrary brave unusual challenging observations are very cool and agreed whereas questioning the parents are taboo, i think his main success comes from this manner
Rated 26 May 2012
78
54th
Very good acting
Rated 24 Aug 2012
30
62nd
Flawed, but has some incredibly powerful moments.
Rated 14 Sep 2012
40
22nd
It is a film of faces and interiors, shot beautifully by Sven Nykvist. In a way, the film needs the voice of Leonardo - or some figure more lively and generous that Liv Ullmann's Eva. Still, Ingrid was nominated for an Oscar - her sixth nomination - and it may be that she found great comfort finally in returning to Scandinavia. As for Ingmar, it was easy at the time to think that this might be his farewell, too, for it gave no sign of the warmth that was still to come flooding into his vision.
Rated 24 Mar 2013
77
75th
Extremely well-acted, revealing levels and levels of history almost exclusively through sharp dialogue... but at some point it's about as entertaining as watching a family fight. Because, y'know, that's exactly what it is.
Rated 03 Jul 2013
85
89th
The film begins with way too much exposition in the form of character monologues but the shaky start gives way to an emotionally devastating and reverberating dissection of mother-daughter conflict.
Rated 02 Oct 2013
88
95th
87.500
Rated 10 Oct 2013
95
80th
Ugh, just a brutal character study that hits far too close to home... Narcissistic Personality Disorder :)
Rated 19 Nov 2013
95
93rd
Pretty sure this is the only Bergman movie I've seen without a character named Karin. Anyway, it's a phenomenal film about familial resentment, soul-draining and devastating in the greatest way, with a pair of performances that are absolutely stunning. But the real star here is, of course, Sven Nykvist, who is especially genius when working with an autumnal palette, so every frame is just marvelous.
Rated 15 Dec 2013
91
99th
Still made me cry on the fourth watch. Bergman grabs you in his net and, using cruel close-ups, never lets you go. That’s what Eva did to Charlotte. Finally, when Charlotte was reminded of, and washed up with, all her sins and irresponsibilities, Eva returned to her “Mother” role and decided to forgive her mother.
Rated 31 Jan 2014
72
80th
This is everyday life in Scandinavia.
Rated 19 Feb 2014
89
90th
more like....... autumn prelude.... right guys
Rated 10 May 2014
80
85th
short time.. a few places.. awesome scenario
Rated 15 Sep 2014
83
72nd
a bit too theatrical but the acting and storytelling is out of this world; I wish there were more music on a movie about a pianist mother
Rated 06 Oct 2014
97
95th
Powerful, almost to the point of being upsetting.
Rated 23 Nov 2014
88
91st
Ullman's intensity and Bergman's grace is like setting fire to the screen.
Rated 14 Jul 2015
97
91st
Monumental. For everyone who has a mother.
Rated 21 Sep 2015
80
76th
Sometimes I worry that I will no longer love movies by those directors I loved at 16 but this still left me like most other Bergman's did back then in that I immediately wanted to call my mother so I didn't kill myself
Rated 04 Jan 2016
90
93rd
This movie caught me so off guard. The synopsis and warm colours did not prepare me for this. While gorgeously shot in warm tones, the orange and yellows are better suited as depicting the fire burning inside Eva. An emotionally exhausting 93 minutes with arguably the best climactic scene ever.
Rated 16 Jun 2016
83
75th
Like all films of Bergman's great late period, Autumn Sonata is an intimate and immersive trip through a complicated relationship that explores the many facets of love, hate, and compassion, this time specifically how they operate over generational boundaries. Its small scale and limited narrative allow the actors to luxuriate in Bergman's many dense, challenging monologues, and Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Bergman both perform with an unbelievable grace that more than fulfills Bergman's grand vision.
Rated 09 Jan 2017
50
17th
Sure, it's well-done and Bergman's a genius, etc etc. But for me it is well-done and genius-made depression put to film. Over the top depressing.
Rated 06 Feb 2017
81
65th
The blocking and cinematography are great, the performances are flawless, but I just didn't connect with the characters here. Maybe it's because most of the historical conflict is only delivered through monologues, or that I've been desensitized to far more disturbing or troubling stories of parent-child relationships. A perfectly made film with just a tad missing to truly reach me emotionally.
Rated 29 May 2017
92
96th
Gut-wrenching
Rated 20 Sep 2017
84
91st
Suppressed emotions are brought to the fore after the tension between the mother and the daughter breaks. Bergman handles dialogue and creates affectionally complex characters better than almost any director. Although the style works to serve the intent behind the film perfectly, it didn't feel effective as a whole.
Rated 23 Mar 2018
80
89th
fantastic narrative, pacing and script about the complex relationship between an absent mother and daughter. somewhat dragged down by melodramatic overacting and a few silly monlogues by ingrid bergman.
Rated 31 Mar 2018
90
90th
Bergman is again powerful with this intimate, complex confrontation between a mother and daughter. Both the camerawork and script are simultaneous in painting this intense, warm and claustrophobic sensation. The screenwriting is genius. Heavy with substance that shows what impression a childhood may have years later; building extreme resentment towards a self-absorbed mother. It's heartbreaking for a child to think of death in the absence of their parent. Liv is so talented and versatile.
Rated 17 Oct 2018
7
61st
The fight scene is special, but the quality of the writing, however smart and detailed, is very detached and artificial, even in that sequence. So, I find this a somewhat off Bergman drama, and however excellent its peak is, it feels derivative.
Rated 15 Mar 2019
87
49th
87.00
Rated 22 May 2019
100
99th
Bergman'ın neden bu kadar iyi ve kusursuz bir yönetmen olduğunu Autumn Sonata'yı izledikten sonra çok daha iyi anladım. Yönetmenin özellikle renkli filmlerini tek tek izleyip, her bir filminden bir martının kanadını açıp kapattığı anını yakalar gibi fotoğraflar almak istiyorum. Başından sonuna kadar gizemli, her şeyin ne olacağı tamamen belirsiz. Ingrid Bergman ve Liv Ullmann'ın anne, kız performansları ise filme daha da bir derinlik katıyor. Resmen kusursuz.
Rated 07 Jul 2019
9
94th
It's been a cruel reminder of what a bergman movie was like
Rated 27 Jul 2019
87
95th
"kişi nasıl yaşaması gerektiğini öğrenmeli. her gün üzerinde çalışıyorum. en büyük engelim kim olduğumu bilememem. kör gibi el yordamıyla arıyorum. eğer birisi beni olduğum gibi severse, sonunda kendime bakmaya cesaret edebilirim belki. bu olasılık benim için oldukça uzak."
Rated 02 Nov 2019
100
97th
Bir anne ve bir kız; duyguların, kafa karışıklığının ve yıkımın berbat bir karışımı. Annenin sakatlıkları kızına da geçer, beni de kendin gibi sakatlamayı başardın.İçimde duygusal ve incinebilir olan ne varsa hepsine saldırdın. Anne, benim acım senin gizli zevkin midir?
Rated 15 Sep 2020
100
96th
I think that this is my favourite Ingmar Bergman film. It's also the one I have watched more than any other of his. Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullman are simply astonishing here ... turning in subtle and complex performances in a film that focuses so closely on their faces, that you feel any false note would just scream at you off the screen. There's a point in this film where I usually end up feeling afraid for Ullaman, she so insanely powerful and unhinged, totally lost in her character.
Rated 15 Oct 2020
85
51st
The overlong shots of Helena trying to get her words out felt exploitative
Rated 14 Dec 2020
84
96th
A powerful movie with superb acting and excellent direction and pacing. The ending cut was a bit too jarring for my taste but that is my only real gripe.
Rated 09 Jan 2021
93
86th
I can not possibly praise the cinematography enough. So i will just tell my understanding of this film. Every parent ruin their children in some ways. For me, this is the only truth in the nature of complex Parent-Child relationship. We carry our parent's burdens and every generation is getting demolished because of the cumulative disillusion that we inherited from our ancestors. Because of this Silenus says; "It is best not to be born at all; and next to that, it is better to die than to live".
Rated 19 Jan 2021
0
5th
I don't get it, but I've never gotten the appeal of Bergman. I guess I'm a rube. It always comes off as desperate, absurd, insincere, and pathetic, like any daytime soap opera. The acting is shit. The writing is shit. The filming is incredibly dull. Overall it's just boring as fuck. I emphatically hate this film, and Ingmar Bergman. It bewilders me that so many people think this rubbish is not only tolerable but actually amazing filmmaking.
Rated 03 Feb 2021
4
93rd
Bergman starts to repeat itself but even then he is so above of others.
Rated 14 Apr 2021
90
93rd
A little talkative at some parts yet still a brilliant drama. I also think that while Ingrid Bergman was a huge star, Liv Ullmann is the real lead in this movie. She is so talented even shadows Ingrid Bergman sometimes. A truly brilliant performance.
Rated 18 Jan 2022
76
97th
masterpiece
Rated 17 Feb 2022
97
97th
Ingmar Bergman is one of the few "artist"s in cinema. He understood what art is. Although he was agnostic, he understood that, in his words, "art lost its basic creative drive the moment it was separated from worship". He didn't fall in the trap. His movies glorify believers, for those who are able to understand it. Autumn Sonata is a depressing movie, in a good way. It clearly shows that hedonism leads to pain, not pleasure, not for just the hedonistic woman but all the people around her.
Rated 27 Jul 2022
98
99th
A universally approachable story conveyed by a master in 90 mins. Speechless.
Rated 12 Oct 2022
92
95th
audiovisual 90 acting 95 overall feeling 92 avg ~92
Rated 08 Dec 2022
89
59th
We get to experience firsthand an example of legitimate maternal resentment, and the child airing that grievance. All very complicated and also fascinating. Almost everybody can relate to some degree, although we all have our own unique version of the story.

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