Review of Wild Strawberries

I guess my problem with it is that I found the story to be too conventional and I wasn't as emotionally impacted at the film's end as I should have been. The wonderfully surreal dreams and nightmares and flashbacks do a terrific job of outlining Isak's character and his empty life, but I felt that the story in the present didn't accurately reflect what the stories of the past implied. The elder Isak wasn't cold, wasn't harsh, and didn't deserve the loneliness which had crept over him. And, as such, I felt like his character didn't really grow over the course of the narrative, as I didn't think he was that distant to begin with. There's some redemption to be found with his son, of course, but why was that redemption required? I just thought Isak's character didn't fit within the context of the flashbacks.

I suppose I'll probably like it better once I understand Bergman more and watch it again, but for now, I'll just have to be disappointed.