It is all too fitting that, for his final film, Ingmar Berman would return to Johan and Marianne, the characters we last saw baring their souls 30 years ago in Scenes From a Marriage, which, for my money, is Bergman’s masterpiece (of course, ask me on another day and I might say Cries and Whispers, on another day, Persona …). Shot almost entirely in thoughtful long takes and penetrating close-ups, the film continues Bergman’s concerns with complex and sometimes destructive human relationships, the scars of the past, and the uncertainty of the future, and while I can’t say this film ended his career on a spiritually uplifting note, it does drive home its moments with such raw power that you can’t help but admire Bergman’s tenacity and the emotional nakedness with which he directs his supremely talented cast. (DVD)