Dr. Isak Borg is such a powerful character whom I believe personifies someone everyone has in their life. He is an old man who has grown lonely in his old age, alienated from his family due to his negative personality. Isak is on a journey to Stockholm to accept a reward and a journey to make amends. He must face his past, present, and future through memories, reality, and dreams.
The most powerful scenes in this movie are perhaps those of dreams. In the beginning of the movie we witness the dream that leads Isak to the conclusion that he does not have long to live. In the dream Isak sees a man with a distorted face, a clock with no hands (which appears later in the film as part of a memory), and his own body in a coffin which reaches towards him. This dream is very realistic to Isak who believes his time is running out and his coffin is beckoning him.
Another dream of Isak's is very archetypal. The dream shows Isak failing to pass a simple doctor's test despite his extensive medical knowledge. He begins to question whether he deserves the reward he is going to collect or not. How many of us can say we have not had a similar dream? Whether you're failing a test you know you've studied for or showing up for the first time to a class at the end of a semester (the latter haunts me). This dream, or rather nightmare, forces us to question ourselves and put everything into perspective, even in the waiting world we are left wondering. This idea is something that bothers Isak the entire movie, not necessarily relating specifically to his reward but to his life as well. How'd he get to where he is and does he deserve everything he has?
We learn a lot about Isak through his memories and dreams, and we see his growth through his current journey. For instance, during his travels Isak runs into a group of young adults and offers them a ride. They are extremely grateful for the offer and accompany Isak to his destination. Upon getting another ride the girl tells Isak that it is he she loves and chooses, a kind and meaningful sentiment. Isak also reconciles with his daughter in law who opes up to him and shares the true nature of her visit, which she wouldn't have done if not for Isak's sudden shift in demeanor.
While the film ends with Isak's arrival at his son's house, his real journey begins. Bergman does not show us whether Isak dies or if he lives, but we get the sense that either way it is peaceful. Isak has made amends with himself and his family (or at least tried as is the case with his son) and has come to accept where he is going. We are shown a candid shot of who Isak was and how he has become that way, and we most certainty see the shift in his character and hints as to where he is going.
SIDE NOTES: Isak is portrayed by Victor Sjostrom, more commonly known as a Swedish director.
In The Seventh Seal the idea of Wild Strawberries is repetitious I do not know whether this was on purpose or purely coincidental.
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