Overview
A summer retreat becomes a journey into the blurred lines of creativity and reality.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- dreamy
- wistful
- contemplative
- quiet evening
- summer afternoon
What critics said
Critics generally found the film charming, well acted, and dreamlike in its exploration of romance and creativity, while noting its modest scale and leisurely pace.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chris's screenplay unfolds onscreen as a film-within-the-film whose romantic tensions mirror and complicate the couple's retreat.
The couple travel to Fårö to write screenplays, while the film foregrounds their creative process and anxieties about cinema.
Bergman's home island and artistic reputation shape Tony's expertise and Chris's intimidation throughout the retreat.
Fårö's beaches, wild landscape, and summer isolation provide the setting for both screenplay work and relationship uncertainty.
Films like Bergman Island, and why
A Summer's Tale
self-reflexive filmmaking, romantic uncertainty, and fiction bleeding into lived experience
The Souvenir
intimate couple dynamics, creative ambition, and emotionally ambiguous conversations
8½
dreamlike romantic drama shaped by cinema, memory, and unstable reality
Scenes from a Marriage
island setting, relationship tension, and contemplative art-house atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Mia Hansen-Løve
- Release Date
- 2021-07-14
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (251)
Cast
- Vicky Krieps
- Tim Roth
- Mia Wasikowska
- Anders Danielsen Lie
- Hampus Nordenson
- Anki Larsson
- Kerstin Brunnberg
- Melinda Kinnaman
- Stig Björkman
- Magnus Almqvist
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bergman Island about?
- On Bergman's windswept island, two filmmakers discover that writing about love can make their own relationship impossible to keep separate from fiction.
- What is Bergman Island like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bergman Island as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Bergman Island violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Bergman Island.
- What did critics think of Bergman Island?
- Critics generally found the film charming, well acted, and dreamlike in its exploration of romance and creativity, while noting its modest scale and leisurely pace.
- Which films are like Bergman Island?
- Films with a similar feel include A Summer's Tale, The Souvenir, 8½, and Scenes from a Marriage.
- How long is Bergman Island?
- Bergman Island runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bergman Island?
- In United States, Bergman Island streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now.
