Eva

A somewhat dated, and quite angsty, but very thought-provoking coming-of-age story. But instead of focusing on how a young man succeeds in the world, the story is mostly about his internal struggle to come to terms with death. While it starts off as a rather old-fashioned melodrama, a succession of monologues provide the existential impact that Bergman fans will appreciate. The honest yet ominous portrayal of sex, the island setting, the background of war, and of course the search for meaning are familiar themes. Certainly this isn't like the exquisite later works, the acting of the leading man and of course the cinematography fall short, but it has the advantage of simplicity, though that might be not entirely satisfying for some.