Planned and released as the final film Bergman would direct, Fanny and Alexander comes close to the territory of his marvelous autobiography, The Magic Lantern. The film creates a world of family and community that includes parties, weddings, funerals, much comedy, and considerable grief. A little boy and his younger sister enjoy life among an extended family that includes prosperous artists. When their mother remarries, the children suffer the strictures of domestic tyranny and religious puritanism. Fortunately, they gradually discover the saving powers of theater, music, friendship, and unfettered imagination.