Kvinnors väntan (1952)'s comments

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Yousef Mousa

Ingmar Bergman's most underrated film, fabulous !

8 years 7 months ago

If you told me Ingmar Bergman was capable of doing comedy, I scarcely would have believed it. After seeing Secrets of Women, what he and critics call his first comedy, I'm still not sure. The outcomes aren't exactly tragic, but the film starts with a woman wistfully admitting she's never known true intimacy with her husband and goes from there. An existential comedy, I suppose, composed of three flashbacks and two present-day moments among sisters-in-law, speaking frankly about their marriages as they wait for their husbands. (The Swedish title Waiting Women is more accurate because they are all waiting for something, be it intimacy, reciprocity, commitment, fulfillment.) Only one of the flashbacks could really be called "funny" (the scene in the elevator is definitely the comic highlight), but I still liked the film very much. Each "secret" kept my interest, and was beautifully acted and shot. Bergman's mastery of light, shadow, and reflections is prevalent, and he creates tension in the more surprising ways - a kitten taken away evokes the risk of losing a baby, characters standing on church steps makes you believe in an upcoming wedding, and so on. I don't think I laughed, but it's not that kind of comedy. I'll be darned if it didn't leave me with a smile though.

4 years 11 months ago