Carly Wijs, Scarlet Tummers and Eurudike De Beul taking on Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata together? It goes without saying that this will be no “ordinary” adaptation of a classic. The mother-daughter epic and its generational conflict transforms into a tragicomic questioning of artistry itself. A dark, contemporary adaptation with an edge to it.
Mother-daughter; teacher-student; older actress-younger actress: generational conflict appears in multiple forms in this Autumn Sonata. The three actresses try to translate the film to the stage, but time and again real life seeps through. Shown not only by the fact that Scarlet was actually Carly and Eurudike's student at drama school. In Autumn Sonata, they offer an insight into what happens to power structures when positions shift.
The starting point is still Ingmar Bergman's classic, which is featured prominently in the performance. The film presents a melancholic look at the parent-child relationship: in a conversation that lasts until dawn, with plenty of red wine and cigarettes, the conflict is addressed head on. Bergman investigates the different kinds of pains that shape us; emotional detachment, trauma, maternal murder and the ultimate question of who is to blame.
Autumn Sonata will be a unique project, full of theatrical fireworks starring three iconic actresses sharing the stage together for the first time. Behind the scenes, Stef Stessel is in charge of scenography and film director Fien Troch (Kid, Home, Unspoken) helps bring the vision to life as an outside eye.
Disclaimer: Despite its experimental form, it is still the makers' intention to preserve the story of Autumn Sonata and reduce it to its essence.
