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"Four women dressed in white in a mansion painted red... haunted by whispers and cries."
Cries and Whispers - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Come what may, this is happiness. I cannot wish for anything better. Now, for a few minutes, I can experience perfection. And I feel profoundly grateful to my life, which gives me so much.
— Agnes (from her diary, read by Anna)
Context:
Anna reads this entry from Agnes's diary after the sisters have departed. The quote accompanies a flashback to a beautiful autumn day when the four women were together in the garden, a rare moment of peace and togetherness.
Meaning:
This quote, which concludes the film, offers a surprising and deeply moving perspective. Despite the immense suffering depicted, it suggests that moments of simple, shared happiness and connection are the ultimate meaning of life. It provides a glimmer of hope and grace amidst the bleakness, reframing the entire narrative.
Pray for us who are left here on the dark, dirty earth under an empty and cruel Heaven.
— The Priest
Context:
The priest says this during a eulogy at Agnes's wake. His emotional plea reveals his own crisis of faith and the inability of religious doctrine to adequately address the profound reality of suffering.
Meaning:
This line encapsulates the film's existential dread and its questioning of faith. The priest, a supposed spiritual guide, expresses his own doubt and despair, asking the dead Agnes to intercede for the living. It highlights a central theme of God's silence and the struggle to find meaning in a seemingly indifferent universe.
Do you realize I hate you? I know of what you're made - with your empty caresses and your false laughter. Can you conceive how anyone can live with so much hate as has been my burden?
— Karin
Context:
Karin says this to Maria during a tense confrontation after an earlier, failed attempt at reconciliation. It is a key moment that lays bare the years of resentment and emotional distance between them.
Meaning:
This outburst reveals the depth of Karin's long-repressed bitterness and her contempt for Maria's superficiality. It is a moment of raw, brutal honesty that shatters the fragile pretense of sisterly affection, exposing the toxic undercurrents of their relationship.