It's the disclosure of disfunction to children's eyes, the discovery of a world not conceived, or indeed anticipated, a contract broken, of barriers erected and bolstered, mistrust, disbelief and, perhaps more importantly, the formation and flowering of the unique specimen you are likely to become as a result. Film making is not just an exploration of its characters and creators but, more usually, an exploration of you! and how you scale against its mirrors and answer its questions? Why else would you invest so much time into discovering your difference and why you're so resistant to change?

"Fanny and Alexander" (1982) was announced at the time of its release as Ingmar Bergman's swan song, his last film for the big screen. It is his most optimistic and enchanting blend of romance, tragedy, comedy, fantasy, and mysticism. Set in Sweden in the beginning of the 20th century, the film follows the lives and adventures of two children, brother and sister Fanny and Alexander Edkahl.

I love Bergman in every mood and in every genre - I love him dark, bleak, harrowing ("Shame"),mysterious ("Persona"),merciless and devastating ("Scenes from a Marriage, "Face to Face", "Autumn Sonata). I love his lighter, smiling side ("Wild Strawberries", "Smiles of a Summer Night). Even for a master of Bergman's powerful talent, "Fanny and Alexander" is extraordinary - a profound film which is also one of his most accessible works.

Pablo Picasso said once, "When I was 9 years old, I could paint like Rafael; as an adult, all my life I tried to learn how to paint like a child". In his final film, one of the greatest masters of dark and sometimes morose psychological studies looks at the world with a child's eye. The words he chose to finish his film with reflect the hope, the happiness and the magic that can be fully felt only in one's childhood: "...Anything can happen, anything is possible. Time and space do not exist. ..On a flimsy ground of reality, imagination spins out and waves new patterns." --- August Strindberg's introductory notes for A Dream Play.

Some of the positive reviews I just read on IMDb make me wonder if I saw the same film they did. "One of the greatest films ever made" and "a masterpiece"???!!! Come on, this is a very good film but I would reserve these raves for other films! The performances and writing for the family is amazing at times--I particularly liked the grandmother's performance. Her use of expression and manners made me believe she was real and I wanted her to be MY grandmother. Her sons, daughter-in-laws and servants were also excellent. On the other hand, Fanny was practically absent from the movie and Alexander, at times, seemed like a zombie. I suspect it must be hard to direct and write for children, as their parts just didn't feel real to me. The evil Bishop and his family were well presented and I had no problems here. The only REAL problem I had was with the bizarre son of the Jewish man who rescued the children. He was kept locked away and was either some sort of psychopath or pedophile or witch--his part was so brief and poorly presented he was just a confusion. I know that Bergman likes occasional surreal touches but to me this just looks more like an omission versus a real attempt to challenge the viewer. I THINK Bergman was trying to imply that this man molested Alexander but whether or not this occurred it just didn't fit the film.

One other gripe I had is that the film seemed a little too black and white in its presentation and seems to show a real bias on Bergman's part concerning traditional morality. The Ekdahl family is rather worldly (with son Carl's MANY sexual escapades and his family's tacit approval) and sweet AND the Bishop's family is stern, wicked and visually frightening.