Take The City And Run

Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Eva: A mother and a daughter — what a terrible combination of feelings and confusion and destruction. Everything is possible and is done in the name of love and solitude. The mother’s injuries are to be paid for by the daughter. The mother’s failures are to be paid for by the daughter. The mother’s unhappiness is the daughter’s unhappiness. It’s as if the umbilical cord had never been cut. Is it so? Is the daughter’s misfortune the mother’s triumph? Mama, is my grief your secret pleasure?

Ingrid Bergman — in her last film appearance — and Liv Ullman are amazing together. The simultaneous loathing and loving they direct at each other is palpable and devestating, aided generously by the rosy glowing look of the film, which embeds the whole uncomfortable reunion of estranged mother and daughter in the eerie feel of a fond memory. Ingmar Bergman’s eloquently understated direction lets the amazing performances of the two leads shine and, through blocking and composition, achieves a certain level of iconic imagery for everything outside of the main conflict that makes the whole mother-daughter struggle seem all the more urgent.
[IMDb]