Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Through a Glass Darkly’ (1961) is
considered as a member of a trilogy of films, which also includes ‘Winter
Light’ (1963) and ‘The Silence’ (1963). While I plan to discuss all 3 films as
a whole in a later article, as they all possess a common theme on religion and the
related spiritual questions, I am in particular fascinated with ‘Through a
Glass Darkly’ as it also involves psychological themes. That will be the focus
of this article.
Influenced by the chamber plays of Strindberg, ‘Through A
Glass Darkly’ possesses a 3-act structure and the setting is extremely
claustrophobic The scenes are minimalist in the sense that there are only four
major characters in the film, and, while it may sound a bit of a cliché, the
characters act as mirrors for each other. The intensity of the story rests on
the claustrophobic environment and also the intimate interactions for the
limited number of characters. On the other hand, the story takes place on a
defined place and a defined period of time – a 24-hour period, which reminds me
of Aristotle’s Poetics – and his criteria on the unity of drama. This is also
an attribute much treasured by Andrei Tarkovsky’s later work.
Four family members took a vacation in a secluded island,
but in a Bergman film, it was unlikely to be a happy experience. First, the
schizophrenic Karin was just out from an asylum. His father, David, was not too
content, neither. He was a novelist suffering from a writer’s block. And then
there was Karin’s husband, Martin; and Karin’s younger brother, Minus, who did
not have a great relationship with his father David. Karin’s delusions (or
genuine spiritual experience) led her to believe that God was calling her; and
David was desperate to have progress in his work by writing about Karin’s
plight as the inspiration. Martin was not too happy about this. On the other
hand, Karin insisted that her experience with God was real and she pressed
responsibilities of everything, including her misconduct with his brother Minus,
as callings from God. Frustrated by the fragmented experiences that were
tormenting her psyche, Karin asked for permission to return to the asylum,
before stating one final time that she has seen God coming and ‘God is an
evil-faced spider, and his eyes are cold and calm’ - as it was only a spider
which emerged from the place where she believed God would have emerged. Karin
was returned to the hospital by Martin, and Minus finally had a real
conservation with his father, and they both knew they had the chance to
reconcile.
The minimal number and intimacy of the characters suggested
that each of them could serve as mirrors for the others. While these
reflections were not objective representations of the true affairs, they could
at least serve as a motivation for introspection, and also served as a
viewpoint for the various characters to ponder on their own personalities.
Bergman’s faces are the mirrors for the characters and the audience alike – it
is the gesture to invite all of us to confront our true nature.
Bergman, like Robert Bresson and Carl Theodor Dreyer, could
be all considered as ‘spiritual filmmakers’. Yet in Bergman’s work, he has
often been skeptical about the existence of God. Karin’s spiritual experience
in the attic was questionable, as Bergman has not indicated to the viewers
whether her hearing from God was a genuine experience or just clinical
dementia. This has led me to draw parallel to the situation of Joan of Arc, for
which Bresson and Dreyer have made stunning films about; and I have also talked
about ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc’ in the past articles. Many subsequent academics
have questioned the authenticity of Joan of Arc’s spiritual experience,
suggesting what she has believed to the ‘voice of God’ could just be her
schizophrenic condition. So, the call to protect her country may after all be a
clinical delusion! Certainly, these theories are all speculations because that
are no ways to verify these hypotheses empirically. Nevertheless, this serves
to illustrate the complexity of psychological issues, and the interplay between
the spiritual and psychological dimensions of the human condition.
by Ed Law
3/9/2016
Film Analysis
