God doesn’t do anybody any good here, but they keep praying anyway. The suspense is sharp and so is Ingmar Bergman’s cynicism in this landmark film that shocked many in 1960 with a point blank depiction of rape, along with violence that shows blood and lets it drip. What does a pious family in medieval Sweden do when their beautiful daughter leaves for church one day with a smile on her face, the sun in her hair and every ritual that appeals to God’s grace protecting her—and then she doesn’t come back? Well, first father Max von Sydow gets mortal revenge on her murderers, but then what? God’s silence is deafening. The birds in the trees are louder. There’s no easy answer, so the film reaches for poetry and finds it. It’s a very earthy film, all dirt, foliage and human flesh and fluids. It’s low-budget and made with a small crew, but I swear I can smell the leaves on the trees.