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Master Rank #393

Autumn Sonata

1978

GCML Total8.6440% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by Ingmar Bergman

CastIngrid Bergman · Liv Ullmann

SwedenSwedishDrama / Music90 minNot Rated
GCML CuratedNarrative FeatureModerate pace
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Spoiler-free premise

After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Concert pianist Charlotte visits daughter Eva after seven years apart and discovers that Eva also cares for severely disabled sister Helena at the parsonage. Music, old letters, and a sleepless conversation force mother and daughter to revisit abandonment and resentment.

Why it belongs

Autumn Sonata makes listening as charged as speaking, with Ullmann and Bergman's faces registering every mother-daughter grievance as merciless chamber drama.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Bergman reveal love and vanity braided through every attempt at honesty. A Chopin prelude played twice, letters, bedrooms, red interiors, long close-ups, and nighttime silence frame interpretation as accusation.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Golden Globes1 win1979 · official film record ↗
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language1979 · Autumn Sonataofficial film record ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

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Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

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