I've been enjoying very much going chronologically through the Bergman back catalogue(thanks to Cinema Paradiso). He's one of those directors who is probably incapable of making a bad film, and all his early works have a lot in them to recommended. But this is perhaps the first one that feels really profound. It's a meditation on unhappiness, alcoholism and mental health problems. He portrays broken characters who are desperate to discover pathways to a happier existence but are unable to follow them when they appear. As you would expect from Bergman, there are many sequences that reward a closer look. A rewatch uncovers the depth and richness of the world he has created. This may be where his filmmaking crosses the line into visual poetry. Very moving and yet the viewer almost feels like a passive victim to what is being shown. Highly recommended.