Judith

**Judith** is a 1983 Swedish experimental film written and directed by Lucas Kullberg.

## Plot

A young man credited as "Him" whose daily routines, perceptions, and dreams are illustrated onscreen through multiple split-screen windows, which are in turn narrated (by Lucas Kullberg). Him suffers from an unnamed illness which interferes with his seemingly mundane life. Him often has meetings with his ex-girlfriend and had been recently referred to a clinic for his condition. He begins to have intense hallucinations and becomes sicker.

To recuperate, Him's mother comes to take care of him. Him is then taken to a hospital, where his health fluctuates, confusing his doctor. Him's doctor concludes that Him will not die, surprising and inconveniencing his relatives. Him then goes back to work.

The film flashes back to Him's childhood, with the narrator explaining the death of Him's brother, who disappeared into the sea as a child. After his death, Him's mother soon became fiercely protective of Him and rarely left home, eventually causing Him's father to leave. The narrator also details the history of Him's family, many of whom died young in odd or unpleasant ways.

A few days after leaving the hospital, Him receives a call telling him that his mother had died in a "fit of senile hysterics." Him sees his doctor again, unexpectedly finding nothing wrong with him. On his way to lunch, Him suffers a seizure and collapses. During the seizure, various memories of his infancy and childhood flash before him. Him is again taken to the hospital, where his ex-girlfriend frequently visits him. Him's new doctor questions him, revealing that Him cannot remember basic information about his life. Him has a brain exam, after which he is asked various questions and shown photographs that appear irregular or nonsensical.

Him's doctor explains that Him is having trouble understanding past tense and present tense, and it is implied that many of his childhood memories and family history could have been confabulated. Him is allowed to go home for family care but, when he arrives home, no one is there to take care of him. He starts to repeat and then forget various tasks, such as buying food and taking walks, and he does not seem to understand that he is ill. Him's doctor explains that he doesn't have long to live.

Him's outlook on life starkly changes, and he notices more of life's small details. This change is complemented by a change in the film's animation: full-color photography is merged into the scenery. Him rents a car and drives to his childhood home on instinct. His uncle gives him an address to where he can find his real father, whom he has not seen since childhood. Him shares a tender moment with his father, forgiving him. The narrator explains that they will never see each other again. Him continues driving on, more frenzied now, and stops in a forest. He lies down underneath a tree, and the screen cuts to black.

The narrator realizes that Him may die there and refuses to believe that he will. Instead, Him becomes immortal. He outlives the human race and the earth's future inhabitants, surviving until the heat death of the universe, watching the stars blink out one at a time.