Wild Strawberries
Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor's own first love.
Critics Sentiment
Isak achieves inner peace through final family picnic dream
The Almans' toxic marriage confronts Isak with his own failures
The film rises from the uncomfortable Alman couple sequence to the transcendent examination dream, gaining nearly 2 points as Bergman shifts from external conflict to internal revelation.
Wild Strawberries maintains consistently high audience appreciation throughout, with particular peaks during Bergman's signature dream sequences and the deeply moving finale. The film's exploration of memory, regret, and redemption resonates powerfully with viewers, who praise both the surreal psychological insights and Victor Sjöström's towering central performance. Critics consistently highlight this as one of Bergman's most optimistic and emotionally accessible works.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 33
Victor Sjöström
Professor Isak Borg
Bibi Andersson
Sara
Ingrid Thulin
Marianne
Gunnar Björnstrand
Evald
Jullan Kindahl
Agda
Folke Sundquist
Anders
Björn Bjelfvenstam
Viktor
Naima Wifstrand
Isak's Mother
Gunnel Broström
Mrs. Alman
Gertrud Fridh
Karin, Isak's Wife
Sif Ruud
Aunt Olga
Gunnar Sjöberg
Alman
Max von Sydow
Åkerman
Åke Fridell
Wife's Lover
Yngve Nordwall
Uncle Aron
Per Sjöstrand
Sigfrid
Gio Petré
Sigbritt
Gunnel Lindblom
Charlotta
Maud Hansson
Angelica
Ann-Marie Wiman
Åkerman's Wife
Crew
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