The Rite

Ingmar Bergman conceived this experimental work as a response to his controversial tenure at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. Focusing on four characters—a trio of actors charged with obscenity (Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Anders Ek), and the judge assigned to try them (Erik Hell)—The Rite alternates between criminal interrogations and interpersonal confrontations shown in flashback, leading to a final “performance” that makes for one of the most bizarre moments in Bergman’s filmography. Staged on bare sets and shot almost entirely in close-up, The Rite condenses a decade’s worth of cinematic exploration into seventy-five tense, unsettling minutes.