Fanny och Alexander

Name: Fanny och Alexander
Released: 1982

Ingmar Bergman

European Art Cinema family dynamics grief and loss religious oppression childhood innocence redemption through kinship

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Synopsis

As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.

Year1982

CountrySweden

DirectorIngmar Bergman

MovementEuropean Art Cinema

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Cinematic Threads

I think when you deal with childhood, you have to be honest about the fact that it's a mix of the joy and the fear. And certainly, films like Fanny and Alexander... were a touchstone for me in how they manage that juxtaposition of beauty and dread.