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Poster for The Best Intentions

The Best Intentions

1992 · 182 min

A patient, emotionally rich period drama that immerses you in a difficult marriage and the pull between love and social expectation.

Overview
In this film about Ingmar Bergman's parents, Henrik Bergman is studying for the priesthood and trying to make ends meet when he encounters the lovely, affluent Anna. Despite their social differences, Henrik and Anna fall in love, wed and move to the country. They lead a quiet life as Henrik works as a priest, but it isn't long before the simple people and plain surroundings make Anna long for a more lavish lifestyle, which causes marital stress.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
  • romanticstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • love
  • class
  • family
  • faith
  • identity
Places
  • countryside
  • big city
  • single country house
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror0
Humour2
Realism9
Romance6
Tension4
Darkness5
Complexity6
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, romance
Directed by
Bille August
Written by
Ingmar Bergman
Starring
Samuel Fröler, Pernilla August, Max von Sydow, Ghita Nørby, Lennart Hjulström, Mona Malm, Lena Endre, Keve Hjelm
Music
Stefan Nilsson, Björn Linnman
Cinematography
Jörgen Persson
Runtime
182 min
Country
Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom
Languages
Swedish

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