An ode to a time and place, Bergman's beloved Fårö island, and also a meditation on its rugged, natural beauty, the struggles of its residents, and the inevitability of change.
Here you'll find scenes of farmers, almost all of whom are middle-aged to elderly, out chopping wood, collecting hay, scything reeds to thatch a barn, shearing a sheep with scissors by hand, felling trees and sawing them into boards, and cooking a simple meal of fried fish, potatoes, and gravy to eat alone on a winter's night. They describe past disappointments stoically, e.g. Having had a fire burn down their property, slowing down because of health issues, or having dreams of becoming a veterinarian or a teacher in their youth dashed. One also speaks to the little family farmers being edged out by big operations and having difficulty selling their products, a trend which has certainly increased over the last 45 years, and is still painfully relevant.
There is a quite contrast in the tourists who are shown coming to the island in droves during the summer months to hit the beach. The locals only wish would leave things as they found them, and that they wouldn't get priority treatment in permitting matters with local government, the age old struggle.
Early on in a delightful segment we also see clips from Bergman's documentary from nine years earlier, showing teenagers commenting on their future plans, most saying they want to leave, followed by them roughly a decade later, with some having stayed and appreciated a life now "peaceful" instead of "boring," others having successfully moved to Stockholm (and in one case, someone who wanted to stay but is now a train conductor in a big city).
There are many other odds and ends here - the automation (described as a "thingamajig" and a "contraption") used in a lighthouse, fishermen out at sea for extended periods trying to catch salmon, and carolers bringing baked goods to an elderly man, followed by what appears to be his funeral. It's meant to be a slice of life of the 673 residents and was distilled down from 28 hours of footage, so it's got a little bit of everything.
Unfortunately, there is also a matter of fact but brutal killing a pig, the animal suffering in its death throes for some time after the fatal hammer blow to the head, followed by its butchery, and yet Bergman mercilessly leaves the camera on the scene. You can say this is clear-eyed documentary work and I understand it's the way of life for these farmers, but just beware, it's very tough to watch, and goes on for literally 8 (argh!) minutes, which dropped my review score.
I also thought Berman was a little inartistic in his final voiceover prognosis of the island, an update from the grim predictions of his 1970 document, as well as in his plea to the government to allow locals to build rental cottages. Letting everything speak for itself would have been a better choice. He also alludes to doing it again in 1989, which unfortunately wouldn't come to pass.
