Robert Eggers Favorite Movie Is This 42-Year-Old Drama With 100% on RT: 'It's Really Rich'
It is not just a movie, but an emotional journey – one that lingers long after the last frame. It is a shining example of how cinema can capture the beauty, pain, and wonder of human life.
At the end of 2024, Nosferatu was released – a remake of the 1922 cult horror film and a new work by Robert Eggers, one of the most prominent horror directors of our time.
Eggers' love for German cinematic expressionism has always been obvious, so it comes as no surprise that his main source of inspiration was the genre's main representative, F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu.
Robert Eggers' Favorite Movie Is One of Ingmar Bergman's Greatest Works
However, the director watches and loves not only horror films, but also knows a thing or two about classic dramas. In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Eggers admitted that one of his favorite films is Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander:
“It's really rich and it touches on so many things about what it is to be human that it's really quite remarkable. And as with every Bergman movie, there's not a moment of bad performance to be found.”
The film won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and entered the pantheon of Bergman's greatest works. Fanny and Alexander was made in two versions: a three-hour movie and a five-hour TV show (which Eggers prefers).
What Is Fanny and Alexander About?
The family saga takes viewers back to 1907 and focuses on ten-year-old Alexander, his sister Fanny, and their family.
The idyllic life and Christmas celebrations come to an end when the children's father dies. The cruelty of his pastor stepfather forces the protagonist to seek solace in dreams and reveries.
Fanny and Alexander Is the Perfect Introduction to the Filmmaker's Career
This film could be an excellent introduction to the work of the Swedish genius, as it contains the most important motifs of the author's filmography: from a crisis of faith to family conflicts.
Fanny and Alexander also blurs the line between reality and fantasy, incorporating dreamlike sequences. These elements enrich the narrative, suggesting that imagination and memory are as powerful as lived experience, a recurring motif in Bergman's work.
This Movie Is a Reflection of the Director's Life and Beliefs
Fanny and Alexander became Bergman's last theatrical film (though he later made several more for TV), and it serves as a semi-autobiographical summation of his career.
Alexander, a sensitive and imaginative boy, mirrors Bergman's own childhood, struggling with a strict religious upbringing and the death of his father. The film's exploration of art as salvation – through theater, literature, and storytelling – reflects Bergman's lifelong belief in creativity as a refuge from life's harshness.
Fanny and Alexander Is a Must-Watch for Fans of High-Quality Drama
What makes Fanny and Alexander a must-see is its universal resonance. It is a movie about family, grief, resilience and the magic of storytelling – topics that transcend time and culture.
Whether seen in the five-hour television version or the three-hour theatrical cut, the film is a unique experience that combines Bergman's signature existential questions with a rare warmth and humor.
