Cries and Whispers | Rotten Tomatoes

Cries and Whispers

R

Released Dec 21, 1972

1 hr. 35 min.

Drama

List

91%

34 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

As Agnes (Harriet Andersson) slowly dies of cancer, her sisters are so deeply immersed in their own psychic pains that they can't offer her the support she needs. Maria (Liv Ullmann) is wracked with guilt at her husband's suicide, caused by his discovery of her extramarital affair. The self-loathing, suicidal Karin (Ingrid Thulin) seems to regard her sister with revulsion. Only Anna (Kari Sylwan), the deeply religious maid who lost her young child, seems able to offer Agnes solace and empathy.

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Critics Consensus

Visually stunning and achingly performed, Ingmar Bergman's chamber piece is a visceral rumination on death and sisterhood.

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CodyZamboni

Movie starts off and ends strong, with an amazing use of the color red throughout. But my empathy for the characters went downhill as the movie progressed, as the characters started acting more wacky,

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/23

Full Review

Il B

CRIES AND WHISPERS depicts the tale of two sisters, who after spending years apart, reunite at their childhood home, where their sister’s health is diminishing every second. The two visiting sisters have a troublesome past and find it extremely difficult to communicate with each other. A lack of empathy from the two leaves the slowly and painfully dying sister’s maid, Anna, to be her only carer during her final hours. The film identifies grief, paranoia, mistrust, depression and fear. CRIES AND WHISPERS is a perfect depiction of the horror behind life and its meaning. This is easily one of Ingmar Bergman’s best works. The film is painful, upsetting, petrifying disturbing and perturbing to watch. It is easily one of the best depictions of illness in cinema.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/10/23

Full Review

Thomas V

This film is tough going, but in the best way. There's so much to unpack here, but the cinematography and use of color is brilliant. This is harsh subject matter, but well worth it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Love, love, love! This movie is my favorite from Bergman, it makes me feel so calm and happy!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"A "beautifully realized meditation on life, death and relationships." Not easy to watch in spots, though. (1/2 star removed for minor comprehensibility issues, easily resolved through a little research.)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

georgan g

Glad I read about this film b4 viewing it. Great visuals and acting!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Ingmar Bergman

Director

Liv Ullmann

Maria (and her mother)

Harriet Andersson

Agnes

Ingrid Thulin

Karin

Kari Sylwan

Anna

Erland Josephson

David, the doctor

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

There’s a dullness at the heart of the movie, and the allegorical scheme leads to scenes that recall the conventions of silent films and the clichés of second-rate movie acting.

Sep 29, 2023

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

Bergman is simultaneously at his most brilliant and most brutal in this unforgiving 90-minute psychodrama...

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2022

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

This film burns, like ice held to the skin.

Rated: 5/5

Mar 31, 2022

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

Maybe the "easiest" of Bergman's major films, blunt in its symbolism, literal in its dialogue, unmistakable in its style.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 24, 2020

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Bizarre and magnificently unnerving in its configuration of human emotion, there's a palpable discomfort to Cries and Whispers, with Sven Nyqvist's impressive cinematography gazing with unwavering patience into the faces of its four females.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 28, 2020

Full Review

Ernesto Diezmartinez

Cine Vértigo

"One of the most perfect works - in the form - and disturbing - in the content - of the Swedish filmmaker".

Rated: 4/4

Jul 27, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

As Agnes (Harriet Andersson) slowly dies of cancer, her sisters are so deeply immersed in their own psychic pains that they can't offer her the support she needs. Maria (Liv Ullmann) is wracked with guilt at her husband's suicide, caused by his discovery of her extramarital affair. The self-loathing, suicidal Karin (Ingrid Thulin) seems to regard her sister with revulsion. Only Anna (Kari Sylwan), the deeply religious maid who lost her young child, seems able to offer Agnes solace and empathy.

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman
Distributor: New World Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Cinematograph AB, Svenska Filminstitutet
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Swedish
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 21, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Sound Mix: Mono

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