Autumn Sonata | Rotten Tomatoes

Autumn Sonata

PG

Released Oct 8, 1978

1 hr. 37 min.

Drama

List

85%

33 Reviews

Tomatometer

92%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast (Ingrid Bergman) travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva (Liv Ullmann). The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena (Lena Nyman), is out of the asylum and living with Eva.

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Critics Consensus

A melancholy meditation on the unresolvable tension between parent and child, Autumn Sonata is a fitting swan song for the great Ingrid Bergman.

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John A

Not as subtle and layered as previous Ingmar Bergman films however this final production (that was made for cinemas) does finally reach the viewer somewhere near the midpoint. Liv & Ingrid are both fairly compelling in this talky and somewhat searing character study.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/09/24

Full Review

Jeff M

Dysfunctional family drama is my favorite genre of film and television, so a motion picture like this is absolute catnip to me. Ingrid and Liv were born to play mother and daughter, and their extended back and forth is definitive proof that words are more powerful and wounding than any weapon imaginable. It's a fascinating relationship - their reunion at first seems quite conciliatory, but little by little the tension begins to build until the climactic night when years of resentment pour forth like lava from a volcano. It's indeed explosive, but these filmmakers are too smart to go for the expected histrionics. There is very little screaming and pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth - it's more sadness and regret and (possibly?) a little embellishment and exaggeration. Director Bergman and actress Bergman famously had quite the contentious relationship during the making of this movie, but the result was worth the antagonism. Ingrid is quite extraordinary here, and the knowledge that she was ill during the filming only adds to the heartache and pain. Ullmann is her match step by step - she is an actress about whom I've heard many superlatives, but this is my first time seeing her in action. It won't be my last! I'm certain many will find this boring and too talky - I was on the edge of my seat throughout. This definitely ranks among my favorite family dramas of all time.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Esra Y

One of my most favorite Bergman movies. Mother-daughter confrontation scene is so real, so close to my heart I come to tears. Always admired Bergman's ability to understand and tell human emotions, psychology in such genuine way.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/26/23

Full Review

William L

1978 Tragic Family Drama: "I wonder whether I've lived at all. Is it the same for everybody, or do some people have a greater talent for living than others? Or do some people never live? They just exist." 2022 Millennials/Gen X: "Honestly bro same." Somehow the only collaboration between legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and equally legendary Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (no relation), Autumn Sonata was not immediately hailed as a masterpiece by contemporary audiences, and it's somewhat understandable why - it combines more active dialogue (abandoning the lingering empty space that the director often used to great effect in the past) with a subjectively restrained visual composition (nearly all of the scenes take place in relatively nondescript Swedish houses). The film relies almost entirely on the dynamic between its two main characters, Ingrid Bergman's Charlotte and Liv Ullmann's Eva, a mother and daughter who gradually revisit the unresolved trauma of their pasts in a way that they had found more convenient to gloss over or forget. The brilliant aspect to their discord is that it feels organic and real while exploring (i.e., an actual conflict) while touching on two characters that are simultaneously flawed yet completely relatable. Charlotte represents personal ambition and self-fulfilment (at the expense of a sense of indifference and selfishness) while Eva is an embodiment of childhood trauma, an existence that didn't ask to be created before being left to fend emotionally for themselves (recognizing the limitations in holding onto the past, but unable to let go). These are characters built on basic human principles and are executed well both in the screenplay and in front of the camera with top-notch performances, and they largely succeed in conveying the principles of basic human weakness and irreconcilable intergenerational differences. My only complaint (if you can call it that) about Autumn Sonata is that it feels very much like a cinematic adaptation of a theatrical play, even though the domestic discord source material doesn't necessitate any grand flourishes (and is likely better for not including any). Overall, still a very good component of the filmography of both Bergmans, which remains thematically sharp as all sincerely human dramas tend to. (4/5)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/07/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Simply an overwrought and maudlin family drama. Overacted and unconvincing as well as being plain depressing. I got nothing out of watching this.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

My introduction to Bergman! Let me say, some of the greatest acting I've literally ever seen. However the story is slow and there's not much there… I understand the point but it's just so slow and honestly a little hard to watch. Although, it made me cry. That's good. 4 stars for making it deep enough to allow me to cry. :)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Ingmar Bergman

Director

Ingrid Bergman

Charlotte

Liv Ullmann

Eva

Lena Nyman

Helena

Halvar Björk

Viktor

Erland Josephson

Josef

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Jack Kroll

Newsweek

Bergman restores Ingrid Bergman to her proper place as one of the finest of screen actresses, teaming her with the superb Liv Ullmann in a pairing that simply must not be missed.

Nov 3, 2021

Full Review

Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Bergman's casting coup lives up to expectations. Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann invest their roles with undeniable emotional conviction and impact.

Aug 4, 2015

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

The movie makes good chamber music: it's a crafted miniature with Bergman's usual bombast built, for once, into the plot requirements.

Aug 1, 2007

Full Review

Serge Daney

Cahiers du Cinéma

Imagine Autumn Sonata on television, in prime-time... Everything that makes it an antiquated and dull film would then start to "function." [But] watching Autumn Sonata, in the cultural church service atmosphere of a movie theater, is utterly asphyxiating.

Feb 14, 2024

Full Review

Joe Muldoon

Battle Royale With Cheese

Autumn Sonata may well be Bergman’s magnum opus.

May 19, 2023

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

Autumn Sonata is a brilliant film that explores the deepest emotions behind the family system. Ingmar Bergman’s realistic approach to this film gives it an added dose of power. The film is a bit slow at times, but never loses any of its emotional impact.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 26, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast (Ingrid Bergman) travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva (Liv Ullmann). The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena (Lena Nyman), is out of the asylum and living with Eva.

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman
Distributor: New World Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Suede Film, Filmédis, Personafilm, Incorporated Television Company
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 8, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 20, 2018

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