Winter Light, debuting in 1963, is the second film in what is considered a trilogy of director Ingmar Bergman’s films wrestling with the silence of God. Here Bergman wrote and directed his film following a short afternoon in the life of a small town Lutheran perish pastor, Tomas Ericsson, as he struggles to provide spiritual leadership in the midst of his own crisis of faith. Tomas grapples with the loss of his beloved wife, the hushed relationship he has with local teacher and atheist Märta as well as attempting to care for a parish family as they face a brutal loss.
The film opens as Tomas is closing his Sunday service. Tomas proceeds though communion service with little expressed love or care for those attending, he is emotionally removed form the events unfolding. It is clear though this establish scene that Tomas is struggling with his faith and his role as a parish priest, though the depth of this struggle is not immediately shown. After service concludes Tomas engages in empty pleasantries with his parishioners, being asked to speak with a one persons struggling husband and also engaging in conversation with Märta, revealing their strained relationship. These interactions serve to set the plot of the film in motion.
While waiting to meet with Jonas, the struggling husband, Tomas reads a letter that Märta had given him. This letter is read to the Tomas, and the viewer, in an extended medium shot where Märta recites the letter to the camera. Ingrid Thulin is captivating as Märta, filling her monologue with deep emotion as Märta dissects her relationship with Tomas. In this long take, broken up only by a dramatic retelling of a critical moment of their relationship, the central theme of Tomas’ inability to receive or reciprocate love is explored, as well as Märta’s rationale for why she remains in a relationship with him. With this letter on his mind Tomas is left to greet and attempt to provide some comfort for Jonas.
Jonas is experiencing a critical existential crisis, one where Tomas is unable to provide any help. Instead Tomas heaps his own doubt and ultimate confession of unbelief to Jonas. As Jonas leaves dismayed the camera zooms in to a close-up of Tomas, with a window behind him. The light coming in the window brightens, and Tomas prays “God, why have you forsaken me,” echoing the words of Jesus as he surrendered his life on the cross. From this point the film continues as Märta and Tomas attempt discussions of their relationship, provide counsel and begin a service at a second church Tomas is running in place of the regular parish priest.
Winter Light is drenched in themes of faith, doubt and human suffering as it moves in exploring the silence of God. This exploration flows primarily though character dialog. The atheistic Märta pressing her thoughts against the disillusioned Tomas, faith-filled assistant Algot discussing his reflections on Jesus’ physical sufferings, aloof church organist Fredrik and Märta. These conversations carry the themes of the film with open hands, without providing closure or direct answers for any of the struggling characters.
The striking conversation between Algot and Tomas provides a compact view on the central examination of the silence of God. Algot joyfully serves the church but is a bit of a social outcast, viewed as being an outlier due to his “broken-down body,” yet continues in earnest service. This genuine heart against he cruelty of the world makes Algot a “holy fool” of sorts. In the critical dialog he has with Tomas he expounds on the human suffering of Jesus as he was tortured and killed on the cross. Algot comments that this physical torment, while excruciating, may not be the right point of focus of the narrative. In reading about the suffering of Jesus, Algot recognizes that his own physical anguish may very well be comparable to that Jesus experienced. Perhaps the greatest anguish Jesus experienced was the silence of God as Jesus cried out from the cross “God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?” As Algot shares this reflection the camera continues a slow zoom to Tomas’ face. When Algot concludes Tomas gives a strained “yes,” recognizing that God being silent as the greatest hardship.
Again, Bergman does not allow for any “easy” answers for his characters or his own wrestling. The film closes as Tomas begins the second service of his day. Märta is praying to a god she does not claim to believe in and Tomas is saying “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory” in spite of losing his faith. Viewers are left to grapple with the conversation that unfolded.
The unflinching portrayal of the loss of faith, the silence of God and tragedy is stirring. As the film ended I had to take a few deep breaths and recompose myself. There were no tears, but shock instead. Bergman considered this work to be his bravest and closest to his heart as it was made with little to no compromise, and that can be felt. It was not until later, as I digested the film, that I began to find a nagging issue. Central to the plot and themes of the film is Christ’s cry to God on the cross. The image of Christ on the cross is scorned by Tomas, he repeats the line from Jesus about being forsaken as well as being the key point of discussion between Algot and Tomas. I would not attempt to argue that Bergman is using this as his proof that God does not exist, but as an ultimate injury or rejection. The issue that this raises for me is that Christ’s death on the cross is the ultimate portrayal of God not being silent. Rather, Jesus, if he is God, became man and, in his final act of sympathetic life with humanity, voluntarily took on the humiliation and suffering of death on the cross. This, pardon the pun, is a far cry from silence, but is a point delineating human history with a present and active God, rather than a remote one that is silent and disinterested in human suffering. While watching the film this key distinction did not cross my mind, I was captured by Bergman’s directorial work, and the actors, but after the film ended and I began digesting it I could not shake this fundamental miss.
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