The Passion of Anna
On a remote Swedish island, a wounded loner’s affair with a grieving woman becomes entangled with delusion, shame, and communal paranoia.
Overview
A haunting exploration of love and loss set against the backdrop of a remote island community.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- melancholic
- oppressive
- solitary viewing
- late night arthouse viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, profound psychological drama distinguished by extraordinary performances and moments of cinematic truth, despite a cryptic, less fluid structure.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Andreas, Anna, Eva, and Elis live amid psychological turmoil on a remote island where social tensions accumulate.
Anna presents herself as zealous and truth-seeking while her delusions progressively surface.
The island environment and Bergman’s restrained imagery mirror Andreas’s isolation, humiliation, and emotional repression.
Unidentified acts of animal cruelty unsettle the island community and deepen existing distrust.
Films like The Passion of Anna, and why
Scenes from a Marriage
shared psychological intimacy, emotional alienation, marital disintegration, and austere visual style
Persona
shared isolated island setting, existential despair, fractured identity, and intense Bergmanesque drama
Through a Glass Darkly
shared bleak Scandinavian atmosphere, grief, paranoia, and psychologically repressed characters
The Silence
shared art-house psychological tension, loneliness, and unstable relationships in an isolated environment
Movie Details
- Director
- Ingmar Bergman
- Release Date
- 1969-11-10
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (207)
Cast
- Max von Sydow
- Liv Ullmann
- Bibi Andersson
- Erland Josephson
- Erik Hell
- Sigge Fürst
- Svea Holst
- Annicka Kronberg
- Hjördis Petterson
- Ingmar Bergman
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Passion of Anna about?
- On a remote Swedish island, a wounded loner’s affair with a grieving woman becomes entangled with delusion, shame, and communal paranoia.
- What is The Passion of Anna like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Passion of Anna as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is The Passion of Anna violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Passion of Anna as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Passion of Anna?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, profound psychological drama distinguished by extraordinary performances and moments of cinematic truth, despite a cryptic, less fluid structure.
- Which films are like The Passion of Anna?
- Films with a similar feel include Scenes from a Marriage, Persona, Through a Glass Darkly, and The Silence.
- How long is The Passion of Anna?
- The Passion of Anna runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Passion of Anna?
- In United States, The Passion of Anna streams on Criterion Channel.
