This is a subject rarely brought up, and I am doing so after seeing 'Thirst' for the first time. It is pivotal in understanding themes which recur among his later films. One of these themes in his early films, less so in the later, except for 'Persona' and 'The Hour of the Wolf' is that of homosexual motifs and imagery. It is also there in 'From the Life of the Marionettes' where it is, as I see it, the core reason for the killer's psychology. In these latter films there is no homo-eroticism as such, just undercurrents and thematic reasons. But why are the themes there at all? My intuition on seeing his films, especially 'Thirst' is a horror of same-sex attraction. The lesbian in the film is portrayed as a damned character, to such an extent that she is portrayed as being demonic. Look at the final images of her and you will see a character out of a horror film. I was disgusted at Bergman for this and it prevented me from giving a full 10 to this film, which is otherwise extraordinary. But to return to the eroticism. Has anyone bothered to see how he shows off the bodies of some of his better looking young male actors? The male lead in 'Summer with Monika' is as equally erotically presented as the female lead. Images of the young male lead in 'Thirst', almost writhing half-naked, is comparable to any current gay film. This is here to be read visually and also extends to 'Port of Call'. It is interesting to note that women are not as erotically portrayed, in the standard sense of any film dealing with sexuality, and stay within the mainstream. The young men go beyond the normal presentation of the time. And what of the great 'The Silence' where the male is seen as the erotic force that separates the two women possibly in an emotionally lesbian relationship? Homosexuality is the dark side of sex in Bergman's films. Was it the dark side of him? We will never know, but the question even unanswered can be posed.
Review of Thirst
