Fårö Document 1979 (1979)

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Fårö Document 1979 (1979) – I. Bergman

Ingmar Bergman returns 10 years later for a second documentary about Fårö, the small island he came to call home (although at this point he was a tax exile living in Germany).  This second look is longer and less formally structured with more expansive wordless stretches showing us life on the rural island (which has become a favoured tourist destination during the summer).  It does feel meditative at times. Watching this back-to-back with the original 1969/1970 doco reveals some overlap (this time they slaughter a pig instead of a sheep, however) and from this vantage point, a viewer might be hard pressed to determine whether they are watching 1969 or 1979.  A brief attempt in the spirit of the 7 Up! Series involves interviewing the kids from the bus in 1969 to see whether they followed through on their plans to leave Fårö or to stay (most ended up staying, it seems, even as the population dropped to 670 or so).  Everything is very pastoral (and often very wintry), but the loss of cinematographer Sven Nykvist is felt.  A few poignant moments captured me but my attention did waver.  Bergman’s political comments at the end further reinforce the sameness of this sequel.  Perhaps this is one reason why the mooted 1989 edition was never made.  Nevertheless, it would likely be great to visit Fårö one day.