Review of The Silence

I am neither an expert on Bergman, nor on film, so I refer you to the many thoughtful reviews others have written; but reconsider the comments that "nothing happens in this film." Yes, it does seem much longer than 95 minutes, but only because it is so dense, because so much happens. Each look, each word carries emotions and meanings that require interpretation and re-interpretation. This is not a fun movie. We watch a woman die--slowly--and her relationship with her sister fester. Whatever the women try to say, they seem not to be able to say what they mean, or not to be able to mean anything. The son/nephew meanwhile wanders the halls of their hotel alone, somehow beyond or below any communication. There is indeed little action, aside from the sexual forays that serve to exacerbate rather than relieve the tension.

This is a desolate film, and no redemption from the loneliness of death and individuality may be possible other than the consciousness of the beauty of that desolation. But it is beautiful.