4. Ingmar Bergman's Saraband
Saraband is one of the most heartbreaking films ever made and one of the most powerful dramas I have, personally, ever seen. Ingmar Bergmann made the film Scenes from a Marriage in 1973 and this film is its sequel. While this would seem like a very unwise career move it actually helped Bergmann to end his directorial career on an incredibly high note. By taking his filmmaking back to an earlier point in his career he was able to examine a time when his narratives were infused with unbridled creativity and give a sense of maturity to his style. Liv Ullmann, Bergmann's lifelong muse, brings a touch of reminiscence and regret to her role that very few actresses in the history of the medium could ever have been able to replicate. She had such an intimate relationship with her director and the two main characters in Saraband, Marianne and Johan, are basically just reflections of Bergmann and herself. This is why the story is so emotionally relevant. It is evident in every frame that Liv was deeply committed to Ingmar and, with hindsight, it is heartbreaking to know that Saraband was their final statement to each other before Bergmann passed away. Bergmann's direction is just as thorough as ever but it also has a sense of stark realism and honesty on display that was very rare in his catalogue. Saraband is also notable because it is a departure from the more cerebral and ethereal films, like Persona and The Seventh Seal, that Bergmann is most known for while also being a continuation of the style that is prevalent in those movies. The narrative is completely realistic without featuring any of the more fantastic elements of his older films but it also carries with it the same complexity.