The coldest thing you'll ever hold, a heart of stone within warm folds, impenetrable and dark, extreme, devoid of hope, bereft of theme.

You should wear a pair of thick socks and a woolly hat to avoid the icy tendrils that permeate throughout, and keep your gloved fingers crossed you never reach the depths of doubt and despair portrayed through the remarkable performance of Gunnar Björnstrand who, as Pastor Tomas Ericsson, has misplaced the vital elements that brought him to the pulpit. And if that isn't enough Ingrid Thulin delivers the most persistent and resilient performance of a woman who won't let go.

This film's Swedish title literally translates as "The Communicants", but it is generally known in English as "Winter Light", a somewhat inappropriate title given that Scandinavian winters are more noted for darkness than for light and that the theme of the movie is what could be described as spiritual darkness. The film begins with Holy Communion in a small church in rural Sweden one winter's morning. Apart from the pastor, Tomas Ericsson, there are only a handful of people in attendance. The principal characters are the widowed Tomas, his mistress Marta, the handicapped sexton Algot and Jonas Persson, one of the parishioners.

Tomas is going through a crisis of faith, although perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he has been going though a crisis of faith for several years, at least since the death of his wife, and possibly for longer. He is tormented not so much by the non-existence of God as by the silence of God, the idea that God exists but wilfully refuses to reveal himself to His worshippers or to respond to their prayers. Marta claims to be an atheist and insists that God does not respond because God does not exist. Yet even her position is not as straightforward as it seems. Despite her atheism, she still attends the church services, and when she suffered from eczema she admits that she prayed to God for a cure. When her eczema cleared up, however, she did not credit God for the cure she had prayed for. She loves Tomas but realises that her love is not returned because Tomas is still in love with his dead wife.

Persson, a fisherman, also has religious doubts, but his main worry is the obsession that the Chinese Communists are developing an atomic bomb and will use it to bring about a nuclear holocaust. This seemingly specific worry, however, is only a symptom of a much greater psychiatric depression from which Persson is suffering. Algot is a relatively minor character for most of the film, but is given a lengthy and important speech near the end, in which he points out that even Christ on the cross suffered from the same doubts which are afflicting Tomas. ("My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?")

The theme of "the silence of God" does not necessarily make "Winter Light" an anti-religious film; it is a theme which has been dealt with by some highly devout writers such as George Herbert, who frequently complained that his longing for God was left unsatisfied. It is also a theme which lies at the heart of one of the greatest films of recent years, Martin Scorsese's "Silence".

I would not, however, rate "Winter Light" as highly as that masterpiece. I must admit that I have not always been Ingmar Bergman's greatest admirer. Others will disagree with me, but at time I find him a very uncinematic director, and "Winter Light", with its almost total lack of physical action, its lengthy conversations, its long, lingering takes, especially close-ups, and its slow, deliberate camera movements, is a good example of what I mean. Although the film was made as late as 1963, in visual terms it looks more like a film from a much earlier date, a survivor of the "filmed theatre" style of film-making from the thirties and forties. On a philosophical and intellectual level the themes which Bergman deals with are interesting ones, but this seemed to me to be a story which might have worked better as a stage play than as a movie. Or perhaps even better as a prose novella. 6/10

This is a captivating film, one of Bergman's most inward-looking and cold pieces.

The performances are terrific. Gunnar Bjornstrand is at his excellent best, Max von Syndow is predictably good. I would single out the women performers for particular praise in this film: Ingrid Thulin is outstanding as the spinster who cannot break the ice that encloses Bjornstrand's pastor. Gunnel Lindblom plays a small but superb part as the desperate wife of the suicidal von Syndow.

This is not plot and action stuff, nor is it any good for you if seeing depression in others makes you depressed. It is a microscope study of desperation and depression. It is a small canvas film – my personal preference is for Bergman's larger canvas work such as The Seventh Seal and especially Wild Strawberries. Of his darker, psychological work, again I would express a preference for Persona and also Through a Glass Darkly. But I'm comparing greatness with greatness – if you like Bergman's work this one's a must see.