Port of Call

Ryan Robinson

It's certainly dated - but Bergman uses melodrama brilliantly to lead us through a tale lamenting the mistreatment of women and the mentally ill (and especially mentally ill women!) So far this is the most compelling film from the beginning of Bergman's career that I've seen, and the photography is stunning.

StellaWasaDiver

Nine-Christine Jonsson was excellent as Berit, a conflicted and horribly distraught young girl constantly at odds with her circumstances. I really got tied up in this film and the emotional journey of Berit. Her loneliness is so palpable. Recommended. Think I might have to buy the Early Bergman box set from Criterion now.

lemonish5

I'm inclined to like any film which opens with a suicide attempt, but it really is all here: familial abuse, histories of trauma and shame, the cruelty of men, what it means to know and love someone with (and for) all their baggage. This one hits close to home.

FISCHER

Un film superbe et remarquable, souvent d'une puissante noirceur insupportable, que même l'artificiel happy end n'arrive pas à effacer... www.cinefiches.com

Rath

Una de las primeras películas dirigidas por Bergman, cuando aún no había definido el estilo ni las temáticas que harían de él una de las luminarias del cine. Como en otras de aquellos años, su ritmo es pausado y la acción demasiado lineal, casi repetitiva. Sí que asoman constantes de la obra del realizador sueco, empezando por la angustia vital producida por un entorno hostil que sólo pone trabas a sus protagonistas.

CarlosEsquives

Un drama femenino bergmaniano. La mujer suicida y un pasado que la atormenta. Esto parece haber provocado en ella una frustración emocional. Dudosa cuando se trata de renovar una relación. En respuesta, una figura masculina defectuosa aunque benevolente, intenta rescatarla de todo ese tormento.

A47

An influence on Tilda Swinton's character from Moonrise Kingdom. Other than that, some rare Bergman moments, decent footage of mechanization and a fistfight. Sort of like Bergman doing a Kazan picture. Nearly atrocious... But worth seeing.

letters never sent

More straightforward drama from Bergman's early days. Berit's kind of loneliness still exists in today's world. I should know.