Cries and Whispers

Agnes is dying of uterine cancer in a grand 19th-century mansion with red walls. Her sisters, Maria and Karin, arrive from their childhood home and take turns with the maid, Anna, watching over her. Anna carries her usual piety, having lost a daughter, and offers companionship during Agnes's decline.

Maria and Karin rotate care alongside Anna, the most religious figure in the household. They observe Agnes's suffering and distance, while Anna prays and provides gentler solace. The sisters remain emotionally distant as Agnes's condition worsens.

Dr. David visits Agnes and encounters his former lover Maria. Maria reflects on their affair and her failed marriage to Joakim, who wounded himself non-fatally after the adultery. David remarks that Maria has grown more indifferent over time.

Agnes recalls her mother, who neglected and teased her yet favored Maria. She gains a deeper understanding of the tension between them and treasures a shared moment of sorrow. The memory underscores how family dynamics shaped her suffering.

While the sisters stay emotionally distant, Anna comforts Agnes by baring her breasts and holding her in bed. The act is intimate and unorthodox, reflecting Anna's devotion and the closeness she offers during Agnes's final days. Agnes accepts the comfort, allowing a rare moment of tenderness.

After a long period of suffering, Agnes dies, leaving the sisters and staff to process the loss. The death marks the culmination of her painful illness and the fragile ties among the family. Anna remains by her side, continuing to provide solace until the end.

At the wake, the priest says that Agnes's faith was stronger than his own, underscoring the depth of her spirituality. Maria notes that the sisters usually avoid touch and deep conversation, pointing to their emotional distance. The atmosphere is heavy with unspoken grievances and lingering grief.

Maria tries to touch Karin, who recoils, and a tense exchange follows. Maria reflects on the strangeness of their lack of closeness, while Karin recalls a harsher past when she harmed herself to repel her husband. The moment reveals the fragility of their bonds and their shared history.

Karin dines with Maria and voices resentment toward Anna's supposed familiarity with them. She opens up about her own suicidal tendencies and expresses hatred of Maria's flirtatiousness. The confrontation lays bare the sisters' long-standing tensions and foreshadows further conflict.

Despite the quarrel, the sisters reconcile and finally touch each other, signaling a fragile tenderness re-emerging between them. The moment contrasts with their earlier emotional distance and hints at a necessary but uneasy solidarity. Anna's role remains a quiet, constant presence behind the scenes.

In a dream, Agnes briefly returns to life and asks Karin and then Maria to approach her. Karin declines, declaring she still has life and does not love Agnes enough to join her. Maria approaches but flees in terror when Agnes grabs her, insisting she cannot abandon her husband and children.

Anna re-enters the room and takes the dead Agnes back to bed, cradling her in her arms. The caretaker's quiet act of devotion closes the scene of Agnes's death and the family’s fragile closure. Her presence underscores the ongoing tension between compassion and detachment in the household.

The family decides to send Anna away at the end of the month, with Fredrik refusing to provide severance pay. Anna herself rejects the promised memento, choosing dignity over reward. The decision marks a final separation between Anna and her dying mistress.

Maria returns to her husband Joakim, resuming her life away from the mansion. Karin cannot believe Maria's claim that she does not remember their touch, revealing lingering uncertainty and distrust between the sisters. The politics of memory and loyalty continue to shape their relationship even after Agnes's death.

Anna finds Agnes's diary recounting a visit with Maria, Karin, and Anna and a shared nostalgic moment on a swing. Agnes wrote that come what may, this is happiness, a line that casts a melancholy light on the family’s complex bonds. The diary entry serves as a final testament to a fragile happiness the sisters could barely touch.