Brink of Life (1958)

I was pretty convinced that Brink of Life was made sometimes during the late sixties. The content is critical, or at least until the final images. This is not one of Bergman's best films, but it is still a film that I enjoyed. Or enjoy may not be the right word here: this is Bergman, if not at his gloomiest, then in a quite typically dark mood, gazing at the inner tensions of human beings. The story takes place in a maternity ward. Three girls, three images of motherhood. Ingrid Thulin plays a woman who has a miscarriage, and who undergoes a delirous state in which she agonizes over her relation to her husband, who she thinks does not love her. The second girl is unhappy about giving birth; she dwells over the life of a single parent, and the strange state of pregnancy. The third woman is seemingly a perky type dressing up for her husband. The confinement of the film works beautifully: 24 hours, the ward, the girls, their companions, a couple of doctors. Some of the agony feels overwrought, however, and that goes for many conversations as well: the social commentary is at times heavy-handed. On the other hand, it is positive that Bergman does not present a reductive image of Femininity and Child-bearing; instead, he shows different aspects and how these women have a hard time understanding themselves and their experiences. And even though some of the acting feels dated, there were a couple of really good scenes as well. --- One detail I liked was how the camera now and then zooms in on a creepy looking doll, conjuring up an atmosphere that has nothing to do with evelation of motherly Labor.