The Virgin Spring

A drama of vengeance, redemption, and forgiveness inspired by Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon." One of Andrei Tarkovsky's favorite films. This is one of several films by Bergman set in medieval times.

Spoiled by love and care, young Karin—sweet and somewhat frivolous—dances all night and oversleeps in the morning. Her parents insist that the innocent girl take candles to a distant church. Karin leaves the homestead with her stepsister Ingeri, a pagan. Ingeri seems to be her complete opposite: she does menial work at home, is vengeful, fearful, and pregnant out of wedlock. The girls journey through a desolate forest, where fate prepares a terrifying encounter with three shepherds for Karin.

The atmosphere of "The Virgin Spring" contributes to an understanding of the tradition in which the director was raised and his taste was formed: ascetic severity, direct gaze, absence of ambiguity, deadliness, and heaviness.

 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film