The Best Intentions (1992)

Director: Bille August

Writer: Ingmar Bergman 

Stars: Samuel Fröler, Pernilla August, Max von Sydow

Runtime: 182 mins

Plot: The story of an idealistic theology student who falls in love with a rich, educated girl of Uppsala, who faces the pressure of her dominating mother for constant disapproval of the relationship.  

Review: Even though the movie spans over three hours, it is packed with a prolonged emotional punch lightening the long duration. It is a classic story mismatched love made in the utmost intimate terms. 

The duration of the story stretches for ten important years in the relationship of Henrik Bergman and Anna Akerblom , played by Samuel Froler and Pernilla August respectively. The writer avoids including a myriad of characters in the mix to create a simple story about two persons in love with each other, separated by their principles. 

The main emotions emanate from the females, with Anna making the real run mainly during the sequence where she feels neglected due to her husband's work in the northern area.

The lack of focus on chronology and socio-historical background provided makes the script intense. The whole movie revolves heavily around the couple's fickleness, other than a few portrayals of manipulative bosses and striking workers. 

The supporting actors have all played their parts gracefully, especially Danish actress Norby who was wonderful at portraying the two-faced role of Anna's mother. An additional mention should go to Von Sydow who did a great job at portraying Anna's weak father, albeit all too brief. Production design and costumes were prosperously detailed. 

The biographical film gives a detailed perspective of Bergman on his parents' lives, making it easy to realize how big of an impact his parents had on his life and subsequently his filmmaking, and eventually, the entire film industry.

Source: Internet