this be a harrowing movie and and it move relentlessly . still it be utterly unique among war film in that it focus exclusively on the civilian experience and the loss of humanity ordinary people undergo during wartime . the two young and married musician undergo a slow and batter process of degradation at the hand of both side of a civil war . utterly strip of sentimentality and the film offer a bleak vision of the modern world and and one i believe particularly recognizable to many european . with brave and intense performance by liv ullmann ( never well ) and max von sydow ( likewise ) . for my money and the most indelible film bergman ever create .