Wild Strawberries

I’ve long believed that the best media – be it movies, music, plays, paintings, sculptures, etc. – are those pieces that force you to re-examine yourself and question whether there aren’t little facets of who you are that need some adjusting. Not that all great art should be life-changing, there’s clearly a lot of fantastic art being created by very talented people that is not. Rather, any piece that causes introspection and reevaluation, in my book, joins the larger canon of great art. Perhaps more than any other medium, film has the power to turn the camera inward and show us where we ourselves are lacking. A great example of this forced introspection is Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries (1957).


This old black-and-white from Sweden’s best known (and perhaps one of film's most pessimistic) director tells the surprisingly optimistic story of Dr. Isak Borg, a physician and professor near the end of his life who is returning to his hometown to be honored in a ceremony there. Along the way, Dr. Borg meets a handful of other travelers who come to represent facets of Dr. Borg’s personality and past. Through his interactions with these various selves, and with the help of flashbacks, visions, and dreams, Dr. Borg comes to recognize that pain is no one’s fault, that he is not a victim. Furthermore, he learns to appreciate the value of forgiving others and himself.

How often are we at fault for the pain that we experience? More importantly, how often do we ascribe those painful experiences to the failings of others? How willing are we to forgive ourselves and others, accepting that pain is simply a part of life and that blame is not an adequate salve? As Dr. Borg learns, we all have pain, disappointment, and regrets – it’s how we respond to them that makes us who we are.