Winter Films to Watch IN BED

At IN BED, we dream of the cooler months - early to bed, late to rise, those extra hours spent in softened linen sheets. Under the warmth of a duvet, we're often searching something to watch, which is why we've enlisted the advice of Stylist & Costume Designer Nicki Colbran. With her sharp eye for cinematography and aesthetics, Nicki lists her favourite wintry films and what moved her to share them with us. 

Cries and Whispers, 1978 (Ingmar Bergman)

Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Cries and Whispers’, released in 1978, is a total feast for the eyes. Set in Sweden at the end of the 19th century, it centres around two Sisters and a servant, each tending to a third Sister as she approaches death at the end of an extended illness. With the entire set draped in shades of bold red, intricate costuming in primarily black or white, and an editing style reminiscent of classic horror, this film is an aesthetes dream. 

With the entire set draped in shades of bold red, intricate costuming in primarily black or white, and an editing style reminiscent of classic horror, this film is an aesthetes dream.

But it is the portrayal of these complex female characters, and the relationships between them, that makes it a fascinating watch. I generally love a period film, but ‘Cries and Whispers’ is so stylised and striking in its aesthetic, with a surrealist sense of psychodrama that makes it feel totally modern.

A masterful meditation on love, hatred, death, and despair. Special mention must go to Ingrid Thulin’s performance as Karin. Exceptional. 

Ida, 2013 (Paweł Pawlikowski)

‘Ida’ is a film that I could talk about for days, so buckle up. Released in 2013 by acclaimed Director Paweł Pawlikowski, it tells the story of Ida, an orphan raised in a Catholic convent in post-World War II Poland. Just as Ida is to take her vows as a Catholic nun, she is reunited with an Aunt, Wanda Cruz (played superbly by Agata Kulesza). Wanda is an alcoholic Socialist State Prosecutor and Judge who previously ruled over public show trials in the aftermath of World War II.

When Ida learns that she is, in fact, Jewish, the two women begin a search for the bodies of their dead family, and consider how they will each live on after war. From the opening scene of this film, every frame is like a painting. Shot in black & white, and in 4:3 (almost square format), the camera never moves, only the people and the world within it. These still frames offer compositions so unique and alive, with a strong focus on negative space, and in combination with beautiful lighting design, they still take my breath away with every re-watch. Never has a desolate landscape looked so chic.

From the opening scene of this film, every frame is like a painting.

There is no musical score in ‘Ida’, no underlying soundtrack at all. The only music and soundscape comes from within the world of the film. Dialogue is also used sparingly. Nothing is telling you how to feel.

Some of the most haunting and poignant scenes in the film are delivered in total silence. This still and expansive cinematography, sparse sound-design, and minimal dialogue, reveal the story in such a quiet and real way, that watching ‘Ida’ feels like peering through a window at a life. Voyeuristic, but not at all removed. This film has had a huge influence on me and really speaks to my minimalist sensibility. A masterclass in visual storytelling, it is a true work of art.

The Night of the Living Dead, 1968 (George A. Romero)

I am not generally one for zombie movies, with one exception; 1968’s ‘The Night of the Living Dead’. Considered by many to be the original zombie movie, it was the first film to popularise the idea of human beings returned from the dead, as the horror film villain.

Equally groundbreaking in its use of gore, it was more gruesome than anything previously seen in cinema, generating outrage and a lot of bad reviews at the time. But most notably, it was the first horror film to feature a person of colour as the lead character (played with total elegance by the very captivating Duane Jones).

Layered with sociopolitical themes around gender, race, and class, this is not a simplistic horror movie

It is low-budget, melodramatic, and a slow-burn, but has such charm and a certain kind of Hitchcock-esque sophistication and style that the horror genre has lacked post-1980’s.

The dynamics between the films core group of characters, (seven strangers locked in a house, trying to survive) is what I really loved the most. Layered with sociopolitical themes around gender, race, and class, this is not a simplistic horror movie. Some amazing scenes and amazing imagery. It also has a killer ending

Breaking the Waves, 1996 (Lars Von Trier)

I don’t recall when I first watched ‘Breaking the Waves’, but I will never forget the feeling it gave me that first time. It was more heartbreaking and affecting than I knew a film could be. It is still, in my opinion, Lars Von Trier’s most profound work, and Emily Watson (in what was remarkably her film debut) gives the most incredible acting performance that I think I have ever seen. Astonishing.

Set in the early 1970’s, she plays Bess, a vulnerable young woman living with intellectual disability and mental illness, in an evangelical Calvinist village in the bleak Scotland Highlands. As is typical of Von Trier’s films, he tells the story in chapters, following Bess in her struggle to navigate an unrelenting world, driven by a pure and obsessive love for her husband and her God.

Shot entirely with hand-held cameras in a doco-style that feels so raw and unflinching, it is joyful, dark, brutal, and beautiful, all at once.

Shot entirely with hand-held cameras in a doco-style that feels so raw and unflinching, it is joyful, dark, brutal, and beautiful, all at once. Be warned, this is not for the faint-hearted. But if, like me, you sometimes want to feel the beauty and the tragedy of the world and humanity simultaneous, and, well, just cry your eyes out, this film is one of the all-time greats. Truly unforgettable.