Cries and Whispers
In a crimson Swedish mansion, a dying woman’s final days expose the fragile bonds and buried cruelties binding her sisters together.
Overview
A haunting exploration of family dynamics and mortality in a secluded mansion.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- oppressive
- melancholic
- claustrophobic
- serious film night
- arthouse viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Bergman’s film as a visually hypnotic, psychologically penetrating, and emotionally powerful study of mortality and female estrangement.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The isolated mansion is dominated by intense red rooms that turn the sisters' private anguish into a physical atmosphere.
Agnes, Karin, Maria, and Anna remain largely within an isolated rural mansion as illness and resentment intensify.
Agnes's dying process reveals jealousy, selfishness, mistrust, and the sisters' inability to offer sustained empathy.
Bergman focuses on pain, death, sexual disquiet, and fractured intimacy through intense performances and controlled pacing.
Films like Cries and Whispers, and why
The Silence
shared intimate psychological drama, family resentment, and emotionally severe chamber setting
Persona
shared Bergman themes of mortality, spiritual anguish, and fractured human intimacy
The Heiress
shared period chamber drama, female subjectivity, and repressed sibling conflict
Amour
shared austere family drama, terminal illness, and painful emotional estrangement
Movie Details
- Director
- Ingmar Bergman
- Release Date
- 1972-12-21
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (805)
Cast
- Liv Ullmann
- Ingrid Thulin
- Kari Sylwan
- Harriet Andersson
- Erland Josephson
- Georg Årlin
- Anders Ek
- Henning Moritzen
- Ingmar Bergman
- Ingrid Sandell
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Cries and Whispers about?
- In a crimson Swedish mansion, a dying woman’s final days expose the fragile bonds and buried cruelties binding her sisters together.
- What is Cries and Whispers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Cries and Whispers as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Cries and Whispers violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Cries and Whispers.
- What did critics think of Cries and Whispers?
- Critics broadly regard Bergman’s film as a visually hypnotic, psychologically penetrating, and emotionally powerful study of mortality and female estrangement.
- Which films are like Cries and Whispers?
- Films with a similar feel include The Silence, Persona, The Heiress, and Amour.
- How long is Cries and Whispers?
- Cries and Whispers runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Cries and Whispers?
- In United States, Cries and Whispers streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max.
