Brink of Life (also known as So Close to Life; Swedish title is Nära Livet) is a 1958 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman.
Expectant mother Cecilia Ellius (Ingrid Thulin) is carried into a maternity ward complaining of pain and bleeding. She wants the baby, but doubts that her husband Anders (Erland Josephson) feels the same. After her condition worsens and she miscarries, Cecilia is placed in a room with Stina Andersson (Eva Dahlbeck) and Hjördis Petterson (Bibi Andersson). Stina and her husband Harry (Max von Sydow) eagerly await their child, while the younger Hjördis hates her pregnancy but hesitates at the thought of abortion. The three women bond.
Tropes
- Genki Girl: Stina is positively giddy when she hears her baby will be born soon. Nurse Brita even asks if she's high on meds.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: The previous time Hjördis was pregnant, her lover had her have an abortion. This time around, she wants no talk of that, although she attempted to induce a miscarriage, which is why she's in the ward in the first place. After her experiences with Cecilia and Stina, she ultimately decides to keep the baby.
- Happily Married: Stina and Harry clearly adore each other, contrasting Cecilia and Anders' troubled marriage and Hjördis' aloof jerk of a boyfriend.
- Not Wanting Kids Is Weird: The hospital counselor tries to make Hjördis think of what a gift her unwanted child is and to think of all the women who can't have one. She looks outright horrified when Hjördis tells her she thinks babies are disgusting.
- Open-Minded Parent: Hjördis is terrified of telling her mother, who had warned her about exactly this, that she's going to be a single mother. When she does finally work up the courage, her mother simply asks her to come home as soon as possible.
- Riddle for the Ages: The doctor is unable to explain why Stina's baby didn't survive the birth, but refuses to elaborate on what happened. Given that Stina's last words before going under was begging them not to use the forceps...
- Screaming Birth: Well, screaming miscarriage in Stina's case.
- Tragic Stillbirth: Besides Cecilia's miscarriage at the start, Stina's baby ends up dying due to the very violent labor. It hits Stina very hard since she was looking forward to it so much.
- The Voice: Hjördis' boyfriend is never seen, only heard through the phone when she calls. It goes to show how much he doesn't care about Hjördis' situation or the baby, especially since Cecilia's and Stina's husbands visit them.
