Autumn Sonata (Höstsonaten) 

 Autumn Sonata (Höstsonaten) 

“Did you see Autumn Sonata? It’s about a great pianist and her mediocre daughter. A story like ours.” This painful dialogue from Almodóvar’s 1991 film High Heels draws a straight line to Ingmar Bergman’s final film made for theatrical exhibition. This heartbreaking melodrama about a classical pianist (Ingrid Bergman) who reconnects with her estranged daughter (Liv Ullmann) is existentially profound, overwhelmingly emotional, and deeply affective. Autumn Sonata is Ingrid Bergman’s final film, who closed her career working for the first and only time with director Ingmar Bergman with a performance that earned her a seventh and final Acting nomination.  

DIRECTED/WRITTEN BY: Ingmar Bergman. WITH: Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann, Lena Nyman. 1978. 99 min. West Germany/UK. Color. Swedish. 35mm. New print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.
Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation. 
Theater accessibility accommodations available upon request. Learn more about our accessibility initiatives.

Back to Main Series