Fanny and Alexander

During Christmas, the Ekdahl family stages a Nativity play and then hosts a large Christmas party. The festive events reveal the family's warmth and high social standing, setting the stage for the tensions to come.

Shortly after Christmas, Oscar dies suddenly from a stroke, altering the family dynamics. His death becomes the catalyst for Emilie's remarriage and the changes to follow.

Emilie marries Edvard Vergérus, the local bishop, and moves into his home with him and his household. The new arrangement places Emilie under Edvard's strict control and introduces a tense power dynamic.

Edvard asserts authoritarian control, punishing Alexander for stories he invents. The cruel treatment strains their relationship and foreshadows ongoing conflict within the family.

Emilie asks for a divorce to escape Edvard's dominance, but he refuses to grant it; pursuing a divorce would risk custody and social scandal. The threat of legal and social ramifications hangs over the family.

While Emilie is away, she secretly visits her former mother-in-law Helena and reveals that she is pregnant. The revelation adds pressure to Emilie's already precarious situation.

In Emilie's absence, Edvard confines the children to their bedroom for their safety. Alexander tells a story about ghostly visits from the Vergérus family and is punished for it.

Isak Jacobi helps smuggle the children out of the house, and they take refuge with Isak and his nephews in their store. This move marks a pivotal shift in where the children feel safe.

Emilie's allied brothers-in-law confront Edvard, negotiating a divorce with leverage such as the children, debts, and a potential public scandal. Edvard remains unmoved and refuses to yield.

Emilie, heavily pregnant, refuses to return the children to Edvard's home. She administers a large bromide sedative to him so she can flee while he sleeps, intending to escape with her family.

Aunt Elsa accidentally overturns a gas lamp, setting her bedclothes and hair on fire. Edvard, badly burned in the ensuing chaos, struggles free and dies soon after.

Alexander had fantasized about his stepfather's death, and Ismael explains that fantasy can become real through dreams. The revelation adds a dark, supernatural layer to the family's fragility.

The family gathers for the christening of Emilie's daughter and the late bishop's daughter, as well as Gustav Adolf's daughter with Maj. During the celebration, Alexander encounters the bishop's ghost, who tells him, 'You can never escape me.'

Emilie, having inherited the theatre, hands Helena a copy of August Strindberg's A Dream Play and suggests they perform it together. Helena initially scoffs at the idea but begins reading it aloud to a sleeping Alexander.