Shame (1968)

REVIEW
The personal horrors of war are explored in this intense story of a couple caught up in a senselessly violent civil war. The setting is 1971, when a seemingly happy but quarrelsome couple (von Sydow, Ullmamn) have fled to a secluded farmhouse to escape the unexplained war. Both orchestra musicians, von Sydow is a self-absorbed, emotionally fragile man and Ullmann his strong-willed wife. The war and its horrific violence soon spills into their world, trapping them and then brutally stripping them of their dignity as they desperately struggle for survival. Very powerful acting by von Sydow and Ullmann and a gripping, action-filled story make this powerful drama one of Bergman's best. (Swedish with English subtitles)