However, I think the movie is realistic and balanced, with just as much bittersweetness as sweetness - even the married couple they nearly get into a car accident with make endless snide comments about one another - and its genius is in showing us truths about life that are common to us all. Bibi Andersson played both this role and the role of the girl in the strawberry patch that he lost, which has a certain symmetry and renewal to it. I don't see the film as being optimistic or pessimistic, or as much 'warmer' than his other work, though other viewers certainly seem to and there are moments of charm, such as when the young woman of the three he gives a ride to talks to him, asks him for advice, and sweetly says she loves him as they part. Some comic relief is provided in his relationship with housekeeper, who brings a smile when she leaves her door ajar as she goes to bed in case he "wants anything", after having bickered with him for the entire movie (and presumably decades of their lives). The film is not heavy or hard to watch and just enjoy Bergman's storytelling, but at the same time it does have a weightiness to it - in recalling the soul-crushing moments of sadness in life, in his sentimental reflections of his childhood, in his weighing in on two younger men's debate about God's existence ("I see His traces wherever flowers bloom"), and as he thinks about his mortality. We see that despite his brilliant career and the very prestigious award he's just been given, the most meaningful, happy moment in his life was simply fishing on a peaceful day with his father, a sentiment which has a 'Rosebud' feel to it. We also see the perils of old age, seeing death coming, being sentimental, and fearing becoming obsolete. We see how this carried down to his son, his unhappy childhood, his depression, and the difficulty he has in his own marriage. We see how he lost the real love of his life when she was picking wild strawberries and his own more passionate brother pursued her, and how his subsequent marriage to another was plagued with strife and his wife's infidelity. We see the common thread - his serious, intelligent, considerate, yet cool and judgmental personality - and how that made him a very successful doctor, but created difficulties in his personal life. Through dream sequences filled with symbolism and dialog with people he meets along the way, we get a picture painted of his life, its key moments, and how he evolved over time. It may sound too sedate to hold one's interest, but it does.
This is a quiet film, with an old man reflecting back on his life as he travels to an awards ceremony with his daughter-in-law.
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