Fanny and Alexander

Through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander, we witness the delights and conflicts of the Ekdahl family, a sprawling bourgeois clan in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Sweden.

Fanny and Alexander (1984-1985) is a Swedish prestige miniseries created by Ingmar Bergman for SVT1. Through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander (Bertil Guve), the story follows the sprawling Ekdahl clan, a bourgeois family of theatre people in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Sweden. Alexander's sister Fanny (Pernilla Allwin) shares his watchful curiosity, while matriarch Helena (Gunn Wållgren) and the warm, appetite-driven patriarch Gustav Adolf (Jarl Kulle) keep the household full of feasts, rehearsals and quarrels. Their comfortable world tilts when a bereavement exposes the household to a severe bishop's home, where a stern stepfather and a rigid religious order threaten to swallow the children whole. The series unfolds across four long episodes of roughly eighty-three minutes each, a leisurely, richly detailed family saga rather than a plot-driven thriller. Its texture is candlelit, theatrical and intimate, with supernatural touches that blur memory and dream. Its tone is sumptuous yet melancholic, tender and unsettling by turns. Fans of The Leopard, Buddenbrooks and The Piano Teacher will find resonance in its portrait of family, faith and mortality.

Acclaimed by audiences as a lush, deeply humane family epic about childhood, death, and the theatre of domestic life.

• The Piano Teacherlush bourgeois family drama, child perspective, religious and mortal themes
• Buddenbrooksmultigenerational family saga, sprawling household, emotional intimacy
• Twin Peaksslow reflective prestige drama, mortality and faith, theatrical staging
• The Leopardperiod family saga with warmth and melancholy, turn-of-century European setting

Created by

Ingmar Bergman

Release Date

1984-12-25

Episode runtime

83 min

Rating

9.0 / 10 (152)

What is Fanny and Alexander about?

A ten-year-old boy watches his sprawling Swedish theatre family wrestle with love, death and a stern bishop's household at the turn of the twentieth century.

What is Fanny and Alexander like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fanny and Alexander as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.

Is Fanny and Alexander violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Fanny and Alexander.

What did critics think of Fanny and Alexander?

Acclaimed by audiences as a lush, deeply humane family epic about childhood, death, and the theatre of domestic life.

Which shows are like Fanny and Alexander?

Shows with a similar feel include The Piano Teacher, Buddenbrooks, Twin Peaks, and The Leopard.

How long is Fanny and Alexander?

Fanny and Alexander: 1 season, 4 episodes.

Is Fanny and Alexander still running?

No, Fanny and Alexander has ended.

Where can I watch Fanny and Alexander?

In United States, Fanny and Alexander streams on Criterion Channel.