Nattvardsgästerna (aka Winter Light) (1963)

Set in a rural Swedish village, the town pastor (Gunnar Bjornstrand) goes through his duties mechanically. The loss of his wife has triggered a crisis of faith. When a troubled parishioner (Max Von Sydow) comes to him with his own doubts, it triggers his own questioning of God's existence. Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, this is among his bleakest films and could easily have been titled GOD'S SILENCE. It's a relatively short film (under 90 minutes) and takes place over the course of several hours. Cold and unrelenting, it's not easy to penetrate its existential veneer. On the plus side, it has a strong central performance by Bjornstrand and Sven Nykvist's stark B&W cinematography is handsome and suitably chilly. I can admire it but I can't say it's one of my favorite Bergman efforts but there are others who consider it among Bergman's greatest. With Ingrid Thulin, Gunnel Lindblom and Allan Edwall.