“Everything can happen, everything is possible and probable. Time and place do not exist; on a significant bases of reality, the imagination spins, weaving new patterns; a mixture of memories, experiences, free fancies, incongruities and improvisations.”

“The world is dreamt by a sleeping god,
and the shivers of dawn ripple his soul.
Memories of things, which happened yesterday,
before the world existed,
glint hauntingly.

This world, in whose soul we have no part,
meets us where the path bends,
it breathes a terror, which is not ours,
from boundaries far away,
from worlds with other laws.
Sleep, sleep deeper, you sleepy head,
until the dream no longer torments you,
or wake up to the day, creator,
and make us real!”

Words I · August Strindberg's prelude to A Dream Play introduces the unique structure of the acts to come. This mixing of memory, reality, and illusion provided inspiration for Bergman in several of his works, including Wild Strawberries.

Film · Wild Strawberries is one of Ingmar Bergman's most lauded and misunderstood films. Drawing from many sources of inspiration—most notably Victor Sjöström's Phantom Carriage and Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams—this film deals with regrets and evasions that indelibly come back to haunt us over time. I see it, however, as a hopeful ensemble study on the transformative effect that our dreams and memories can have on our personal histories and perspectives.

Engravings · The opening arrangement of our film bears a resemblance to Albrecht Dürer's symbolism-rich engraving St. Jerome in his Study wherein the scholar is seen sitting behind his desk engrossed in work. Later in our film, we see references to Dürer's Adam and Eve engraving, which captures a moment of perfect harmony, much like our protagonist's remembrance of his youthful passion in hindsight.

Music · This piece by Johann Sebastian Bach, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Fugue No. 8 in D-Sharp Minor, BWV 853, plays in a dream sequence in our film, helping our protagonist conjure up past emotions of suspicion and envy.

Painting · These works by Edvard Munch portray the jealousy and unease that our main character comes to terms with, also echoing Dürer's perfect moment in the Garden of Eden.

Words II · this poem by Uppsala-born Karin Boye contemplates the illusory nature of our past and coming to terms with reality.