Confused about ending
Hi! I loved this film, brutal as some parts of it were, but the ending didn't sit right with me. It made sense to me, when von Sydow exclaimed that he didn't understand God. But I'm not sure what Bergman's motive was, to have the father promise to build the stone church...after he had just felt that God had 'stood by' and allowed the rape and killing, all the killing, to happen. That religious ending didn't seem to go with the rest of the 'godless' tone of the film. Also, why the spring (I assume it was a symbol of the birth of Christianity?) on the spot where Karin lay? She was perhaps, innocent in her naivity, but not all that pure, being vain, bragging a good deal, and having had stayed out all night, on some occasions. One website claims that Bergman felt 'obliged' to add the religious ending, but that doesn't sound right, to me.
I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way. - Gustav Mahler