Cries & Whispers
1972 · Movie · R · 95 min · ★ 7.9 · 89% critics
In a secluded country house, a woman nears the end of a long illness while her family gathers around her. As time passes, old resentments and private griefs surface, and the people closest to her struggle to offer comfort, leaving a devoted caretaker to provide the warmth and presence others can’t.
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Streaming on HBO Max.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Viskningar och rop
- Years
- 1972
- Release date
- 1972-12-21
- Language
- Swedish
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Critic score
- 89/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.9/10 (781 votes)
About
You may like this if you want a heavy, intimate drama about family tension, suffering, and fragile compassion in a closed setting; Not for you if you need fast pacing, warmth, or clear plot beats like Through a Glass Darkly or Wild Strawberries.
Pros: emotionally intense performances; haunting, vivid visuals; lingering atmosphere | Cons: very slow pacing; bleak, draining mood; feels cold, distant
Themes
- dying and death
- sibling relationship
- sweden
- sister
- cancer
- mansion
- 19th century
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography · 1974
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design · 1974 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1974 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography · 1974 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · nominated
Show all 6 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · nominated
Cast & crew
Liv Ullmann
as Maria
Ingrid Thulin
as Karin
Kari Sylwan
as Anna
Harriet Andersson
as Agnes
Erland Josephson
as David
Georg Årlin
as Fredrik
Anders Ek
as Isak
Henning Moritzen
as Joakim
Ingmar Bergman
as Narrator (voice)
- IS
Ingrid Sandell
as Girl at a Family Gathering (uncredited)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman