Traces of the philosophy of religion in Ingmar Bergman's existentialist cinema

This study examines Ingmar Bergman's cinema through selected films from the perspective of existential philosophy of religion, aiming to evaluate modern humanity's existential inquiries—such as crises of faith, fear of death, and the search for meaning—within a philosophical framework through the medium of cinema. The study adopts descriptive analysis as its primary qualitative research method and is further enriched by interpretative content analysis. Selected film scenes are described based on their content, and subsequently compared with the core ideas of relevant philosophers, allowing for a philosophical evaluation. In doing so, themes in Bergman's films such as the silence of God, distrust in traditional belief systems, and the individual's inner solitude are explored in relation to existentialist concepts like Kierkegaard's "leap of faith," Nietzsche's "death of God," Heidegger's notion of "anxiety," and Sartre's understanding of "freedom." Existentialism, though its roots can be traced back to Socrates, is a philosophical movement that profoundly shaped the 20th century and continues to exert influence today. Beyond its impact on intellectual thought, existentialism has deeply influenced literature and the arts—cinema in particular. This connection stems from cinema's unique capacity to philosophize through its own language, and from the fact that the problems existential philosophy deals with frequently appear in film. Both philosophy and cinema share a common aim: the search for or revelation of truth. In this regard, philosophical inquiry conducted through conceptual thinking can be aesthetically rendered through cinema's visual and auditory language. Ingmar Bergman stands out as one of the filmmakers who most thoroughly explores the existential dimension of religion in cinema. In his films, not only faith in God but also the emptiness left in God's absence is examined in depth. Through this, the individual's relationship with God, with the self, and with the universe is profoundly questioned—offering the viewer an experience that is both aesthetically rich and intellectually engaging.