Fanny and Alexander (re-release) 2004

In the year 1907, young Alexander and his sister Fanny, alongside their affluent family, the Ekdahls, reside in a quaint Swedish town where they manage a moderately successful theatre. The family’s Christmas festivities include a heartwarming Nativity play, followed by an extravagant party. Their parents, Emilie and Oscar, enjoy a blissful marriage which is abruptly shattered when Oscar suffers a fatal stroke. In the wake of this tragedy, Emilie marries Edvard Vergérus, the local bishop and a widower, moving into his household that is ruled by his authoritative mother, sister, aunt, and a few maids.

Emilie initially holds onto the hope that she can infuse her new marriage with the joy and warmth of her previous home. However, she soon realizes that Edvard’s unyielding authoritarian nature dictates their household. The dynamic between Edvard and Alexander is particularly strained, as Alexander frequently invents stories that draw Edvard’s ire, leading to harsh punishments. Struggling in this oppressive environment, Emilie seeks a divorce from Edvard, but he refuses to agree. Unfortunately, if she attempts to leave, it would be deemed legal desertion, jeopardizing her children’s custody.

In the meantime, the Ekdahl family grows increasingly concerned about their situation. Emilie confides in her former mother-in-law, Helena, revealing her pregnancy. While Emilie is away, Edvard confines the children to their bedroom purportedly for their safety. It is during this time that Alexander spins a tale about being visited by the spirits of the Vergérus family, who claim Edvard is to blame for their demise. The maid, Justina, reports this to Edvard, who retaliates with corporal punishment.

Upon Emilie’s return, family friend Isak Jacobi aids in secretly relocating the children to his store, offering them temporary refuge with his nephews. Emilie’s former brothers-in-law approach Edvard, leveraging their negotiation for a divorce with the children’s well-being, the bishop’s debts, and the looming threat of a scandal, but Edvard remains immovable.

As Emilie nears the end of her pregnancy, she resolutely refuses to return her children to Edvard. In a calculated move, she gives Edvard a hefty dose of her bromide sedative, calmly explaining her plan to escape while he sleeps. Edvard threatens to pursue her family, vowing to ruin their lives, but as the medication takes hold, he falls into a deep slumber. Following her daring escape, a tragic series of events unfolds; Edvard’s Aunt Elsa, in a flurry, ignites a gas lamp, leading to a horrific fire that engulfs both her and Edvard.

Meanwhile, Alexander, now living with Isak and his nephews Aron and Ismael Retzinsky, grapples with his own dark fantasies surrounding his stepfather’s demise, especially after hearing Ismael’s intriguing notion that dreams can manifest into reality.

The Ekdahl family eventually reunites to celebrate the baptism of Emilie’s daughter with the late bishop, along with another child born out of wedlock to Alexander’s uncle Gustav Adolf and the maid, Maj. In a haunting encounter, Alexander finds himself confronted by Edvard’s specter, receiving a grim message about his unending bondage. As Emilie embraces her role as the theatre owner, she presents Helena with August Strindberg’s play, A Dream Play, encouraging her to perform it with her. Though initially dismissive, Helena warms to the idea and begins reading it aloud to a slumbering Alexander.