People are voting emotionally.

just watch it!

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Whether you like the films of Ingmar Bergman, you've gotta admit that his movies were not exactly fun. While he made an occasional non-depressing film (like the comedy "The Devil's Eye"), for the most part, his films have themes like death, depression and hopelessness. So, although it was not directed by Bergman (he was just a novice in the industry), it's not too surprising that "Torment" was written by him."Torment" is set in a men's school and the students universally hate their Latin professor--who they've nicknamed 'Caligula'! They not only fear him, but they are in terror of the man and the story involves one of these students in particular, Jan-Erik Widgren. While he is not a very good student and struggles, it's made a lot worse when he meets a young lady. They become lovers but she also hides a secret--she has a tormenter and it turns out to be someone Jan-Erik knows well. There is a lot more to the film than this but I don't want to divulge more of the plot--you just need to see it for yourself.I score the film 7 because it is very well acted and tries very hard to be realistic. However, at the same time, it's all rather unpleasant and the characters aren't exactly likable. So, if you need to see a film with likable folks and a traditional sort of plot, keep looking. It's mildly interesting and about all.

Torment is most recognised as the screenplay debut of young Ingmar Bergman. And while there are signs of a script-writer who had more than great potential, Torment does deserve to be known for more than the debut of one of the best and most influential directors in film. For it is a very fine film indeed. It looks great, with gorgeous photography and evocative scenery. Alf Sjöberg's direction is clever and sustained, while Bergman's screenplay has both its dark and affecting moments and shows great thought and insight. The story does show signs of a chilling atmosphere, affecting melodrama(without being overly so) and also of a writer early on in his career showing what he could do while developing it to even greater heights later on in his career, the film is always involving pacing wise and the character development is subtle while always making the characters interesting. The music has moments where it is too intrusive but is overall hauntingly-composed and fitting, while the acting is marvellous, especially from Stig Järrel and Mai Zetterling. In conclusion, very, very good. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Considered as a legendary coming-of-age work for Swedish film-making, and I can clearly see why: Scripted by Ingmar Bergman, it's a psychologically intriguing drama of morals and authority abuse, with a thriller aura, that's effectively placed in a high school setting.Two of its story- and directorial strengths are: 1. Not turning into a standard young-lovers-on-the-run melodrama as I feared along the way. The two harassed youngsters indicate romance, indeed, but are mainly portrayed as identity strugglers on the brink of adulthood. 2. Painting a believably two-dimensional portrait of the tormentor - is he sick... or just plain evil? We also get a captivating look at school & teaching methodology. Great scene in the map room!! And by a 1944 standard, it holds a surprisingly fresh, naturally flowing dialog for my Swedish ears! Stark B&W photography that is reminiscent of Hitchcock, contributes to its emotional tension, as well. I think the old Master would have loved making this! 7 out of 10 from Ozjeppe.

I was tempted to think of this movie as a wash until I read the fantastically detailed review of it on this site (Darragh O' Donoghue). However, I still think that Sjoberg lost much of the detail and nuance in Bergman's script. His bold touches are occasionally enjoyable, like the Caligari/Nosferatu shadow at one point. It seems that Bergman was trying to draw a inference about the darkness in Widgren drawing him to the same place and person as the darkness in Stig Jarrel's teacher "Caligula." Unfortunately Widgren was cast blandly, directed blandly and played blandly. While Bergman is ready to go straight to the bottom and stay there where the real meat is, Sjoberg skims the surface. One example of this is the film's treatment of the headmaster: while in the screenplay he seems to be written as a coward who in a supremely ironic graduation scene (played obliviously straight by Sjoberg) talks about the virtues of an institution that he has just shown has no particular virtue or integrity, but rather that it is a den of impotence and hypocrisy. His ineffectual "you'll look back and laugh some day" should earn him contempt and a smack in the face. The worst offense is the ending, completely unearned, where despite the fact that things have come out in the worst possible way and "Caligula" is free to go on slinging the hets around, Widgren looks out into the future with his perfect hair blowing in the breeze.The only character that really feels like he's out of a Bergman script, albeit an early one, is "Sandman," played by a future Bergman regular. If you look carefully you can see Gunnar Bjornstrand near the beginning. Mai Zetterling brings the most to her drunk scenes; her blank stare really makes you feel like her soul is dying. Unfortunately most of her character is just a plot device.This just goes to show how singular Bergman is: instead of going deep into the stew Sjoberg tried to spice it up with bold but out-of-place choices and make the lead character sympathetic and boring instead of taking the chance of losing the audience's sympathy the way Bergman would again and again.