Early in the 20th century, middle-aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman and his young wife, Anne, have still not consummated their marriage, while Fredrik's son finds himself increasingly attracted to his new stepmother. To make matters worse, Fredrik's old flame Desiree makes a public bet that she can seduce him at a romantic weekend retreat where four couples convene, swapping partners and pairing off in unexpected ways.

Music in Darkness

1948

Swedish

6.4

♡ 1

absurd

arrogant

based on novel or book

Ingmar Bergman Director

Mai Zetterling as Ingrid

Gunnar Björnstrand as Klasson

Hilda Borgström as Lovisa

Ingmar Bergman as Man with Newspaper on the Train

A blind upper-class pianist falls in love with a young servant.

Loving Couples

1964

Swedish

6.7

80%

Drama

Romance

woman director

Mai Zetterling Director

Märta Dorff as Alexandra Vind-Frija

Gunnar Björnstrand as Dr. Jacob Lewin

Eva Dahlbeck as Mrs. Landborg

Jan Malmsjö as Stellan von Pahlen

As three pregnant women wait to have their babies in a hospital in Stockholm at the outbreak of the Great War, they relive their childhood and youthful experiences.

The Girls

1968

Swedish

6.7

♡ 1

50%

Comedy

Drama

woman director

Mai Zetterling Director

Gunnar Björnstrand as Hugo

Bibi Andersson as Liz Lindstrand

Harriet Andersson as Marianne

Bertil Norström as Restaurant Guest

As they tour Sweden in a theatrical production of "Lysistrata", performing to often uncomprehending audiences, three women find their own lives and marriages mirrored in Aristophanes’s play. Soon, onstage drama, offstage reality, and surrealist fantasies begin to collide.

June Night

1940

Swedish

6.0

♡ 3

Per Lindberg Director

Sigurd Wallén as Chefredaktör J:son-Eld

Gunnar Björnstrand as Journalist

Ingrid Bergman as Kerstin Norbäck

Olof Widgren as Stefan von Bremen

A woman flees to avoid rumors of promiscuity, but is trailed by a reporter who wants to expose her dark past.

Miss April

1958

Swedish

6.2

♡ 3

Action

Comedy

Romance

Göran Gentele Director

Björn Gustafson as Director at the opera

Gunnar Björnstrand as Marcus Arwidson

Gaby Stenberg as Vera Stenberg

Frithiof Bjärne as Warder

The banker Marcus falls in love with the young ballet-dancer Maj who works at the opera. To meet her he takes a job there but Maj is in love with Osvald Berg, the big star of the opera. To wake Osvald's interest for her she asks Marcus if he could play deeply in love with her. Plot summary by nL.

Here Is Your Life

1966

Swedish

7.3

♡ 4

Jan Troell Director

Bengt Ekerot as Byberg

Gunnar Björnstrand as Lundgren

Signe Stade as Maria

Max von Sydow as Smålands-Pelle

A working class teenager comes of age in 1910s rural Sweden, moving through a series of jobs and romances that gradually shape his future.

The Devil's Eye

1960

Swedish

7.1

♡ 17

71%

Ingmar Bergman Director

Bibi Andersson as Britt-Marie

Gunnar Björnstrand as The Actor

John Melin as The beauty doctor

Arne Lindblad as The tailor's assistant

Don Juan is sent from Hell to Earth with a mission: to seduce a virgin in order to spoil her pure wedding. The mission becomes frantic when Don Juan falls in love for the first time in centuries.

The Magician

1958

Swedish

7.5

♡ 21

100%

Ingmar Bergman Director

Max von Sydow as Albert Emanuel Vogler

Gunnar Björnstrand as Dr. Vergerus, Minister of Health

Bengt Ekerot as Johan Spegel

Bibi Andersson as Sara Lindqvist

A traveling magician and his assistants are persecuted by authorities in 19th century Sweden. Their capture, however, didn't bring victory to those in power.

Through a Glass Darkly

1961

Swedish

7.9

♡ 37

100%

electroconvulsive therapy

island

mental illness

schizophrenia

Ingmar Bergman Director

Gunnar Björnstrand as David

Harriet Andersson as Karin

Max von Sydow as Martin

Lars Passgård as Minus

Karin hopes to recover from her recent stay at a mental hospital by spending the summer at her family's cottage on a tiny island. Her husband, Martin, cares for her but is frustrated by her physical withdrawal. Her younger brother, Minus, is confused by Karin's vulnerability and his own budding sexuality. Their father, David, cannot overcome his haughty remoteness. Beset by visions, Karin descends further into madness.

Shame

1968

Swedish

♡ 29

67%

Ingmar Bergman Director

Liv Ullmann as Eva Rosenberg

Agda Helin as Handlarfrun

Gunnar Björnstrand as överste Jacobi, borgmästare

Per Berglund as Soldat

In the midst of a civil war, a pair of former violinists in a tempestuous marriage oversee a farm on a rural island. In spite of their best efforts to escape their homeland, the war impinges on every aspect of their lives.

The Making of Fanny and Alexander

1984

Swedish

7.5

♡ 2

Action

Documentary

filmmaking

Ingmar Bergman Director

Gunnar Björnstrand as Self

Ewa Fröling as Self

Ingmar Bergman as Self

Allan Edwall as Self

The Making of Fanny and Alexander is a fascinating look at the creation of a masterpiece. Directed by Ingmar Bergman himself, this feature-length documentary chronicles the methods of one of cinema’s true luminaries as he labors to realize his crowning production.