Fanny and Alexander
1982 · Movie · R · 188 min · ★ 7.8 · 100% critics
Two siblings grow up in a warm, theatrical household surrounded by a lively extended family. After a sudden loss, their mother remarries and the children are moved into a strict, joyless home ruled by a controlling religious figure, pushing the family to rally and fight for their freedom and sense of belonging.
Also known as Fanny & Alexander
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Streaming on HBO Max.
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Details
- Original title
- Fanny och Alexander
- Years
- 1982
- Release date
- 1982-12-17
- Language
- Swedish
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 188 min
- Critic score
- 100/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.8/10 (881 votes)
- Box office
- $6,795,771
- Budget
- $6,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an immersive, emotionally intense family drama that shifts from warmth to oppression and back, with occasional mystical moments; Not for you if you dislike slow builds or long runtimes like Cries and Whispers.
Pros: rich family saga; striking period detail; tense emotional stakes | Cons: very long runtime; slow early stretch; occasional surreal touches
Themes
- dying and death
- child abuse
- sibling relationship
- funeral
- loss of loved one
- sweden
- bishop
- theatre group
- child prodigy
- dysfunctional family
- ghost
- hamlet
- +9 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1984
- Academy Award — Best Production Design · 1984
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography · 1984
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design · 1984
- Guldbagge Award — Best Actor in a Leading Role · 1983
Show all 31 awards →
- BAFTA Award — Best Cinematography
- César Award — Best Foreign Film
- David di Donatello — Best International Film
- David di Donatello — Best Foreign Director
- Golden Globe Award — Best Non-English Language Film
- Greta
- Guldbagge Award — Best Director
- Guldbagge Award — Best Film
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award — Best Foreign Language Film
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award — Best Cinematography
- National Board of Review Award — Best Foreign Language Film
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Foreign Language Film
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Director
- Academy Award — Best Production Design · 1984 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1984 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design · 1984 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1984 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography · 1984 · nominated
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1984 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · nominated
- BAFTA Award — Best Cinematography · nominated
- BAFTA Award — Best Film Not in the English Language · nominated
- BAFTA Award — Best Costume Design · nominated
- Directors Guild of America Award — Outstanding Directing – Feature Film · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Director · nominated
- Guldbagge Award — Best Film · nominated
Cast & crew
Pernilla Allwin
as Fanny Ekdahl
Bertil Guve
as Alexander Ekdahl
Jan Malmsjö
as Bishop Edvard Vergerus
Ewa Fröling
as Emilie Ekdahl
Gunn Wållgren
as Helena Ekdahl
Börje Ahlstedt
as Carl Ekdahl
Anna Bergman
as Hanna Schwartz
Kristina Adolphson
as Siri
Erland Josephson
as Isak Jacobi
Mats Bergman
as Aron Retzinsky
Directed by Ingmar Bergman