| Winter Light | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ingmar Bergman |
| Written by | Ingmar Bergman |
| Produced by | Allan Ekelund |
| Starring | Ingrid Thulin Gunnar Björnstrand Max von Sydow Gunnel Lindblom |
| Cinematography | Sven Nykvist |
| Edited by | Ulla Ryghe |
Release date |
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Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
Winter Light (Swedish: Nattvardsgästerna, lit. 'The Communicants') is a 1963 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring his regulars, Gunnar Björnstrand, Ingrid Thulin and Max von Sydow. It follows Tomas Ericsson (Björnstrand), pastor of a small rural Swedish church, as he deals with an existential crisis and his Christianity.
The film is the second in a series of thematically related films, following Through a Glass Darkly (1961) and followed by The Silence (1963); this is sometimes considered a trilogy. In it, Bergman reconsiders Through a Glass Darkly's argument that God is love, and repeated the prior film's reference to God as a monstrous spider.
Bergman formed the story after speaking to a clergyman whose parishioner committed suicide. The film was shot in different locations in Sweden in 1962. Vilgot Sjöman's film Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie was made simultaneously with Winter Light and documents its production. The feature received positive reviews for its cinematography and themes.