The Virgin Spring (1960) ****1/2

Of the eleven Bergman films that I've seen thus far, The Virgin Spring (1960) is the most disturbing but also the most powerful. You truly feel the horror when Birgitta Pettersson's Karin loses her innocence, without the director resorting to gratuity. You feel the rage and remorse when Max von Sydow's Töre enacts his revenge upon his daughter's rapist/killers, without the need for gore. And you feel the hope that springs eternal, when the world seems to offer nothing but darkness and despair. A haunting but beautiful ponderance on religion, guilt and justice.