The Silence

I'm not a big Bergman fan, Persona being the only one of his films that somehow managed to stand out for me. The biggest difference with the rest of his oeuvre is that Persona is more of a visual poem, rather than a narrative with direct philosophy. Having finally seen The Silence, there's now a second Bergman that towers above his other films.

Two sisters travel to a remote country where they don't understand the language. One of them falls ill and is bound to the hotel they're staying in. The other sister ventures around and quickly finds a man to spend time with. Slowly it becomes apparent that the two sisters don't really see eye to eye.

Most remarkable is the sound design. Though not technically accomplished, Bergman was able to create a very peculiar and unique atmosphere with it. The cinematography is also solid, it's just a shame that, like Persona, the film becomes more talkative and explanative towards the finale. Still, I wish Bergman made more films like this.