"Faithless"
Legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman gets introspective with his autobiographical story of marriage, infidelity and betrayal, "Faithless," directed by his protégé, actress-turned-director Liv Ullmann and starring Lena Endre as the fickle Marianne.
The story begins with an old man, Bergman (Erland Josephson), struggling with his script about marriage and fidelity. He has trouble breathing life into his personal tale and calls upon an actress, Marianne (Endre), to help him with the task. The beautiful actress may be real or she may be just a figment of the elderly Bergman's imagination as she helps the writer and tells him her story.
Marianne is married to Marcus (Thomas Hanzon), a much sought after orchestra director who spends much of the time away on tour. David (Krister Henriksson), a family friend and filmmaker (Bergman's alter ego), decides to fill the void and spends his time with Marianne. An affair soon begins. David's hair trigger temper and lack of regard for those around him are the catalyst that will lead to a broken marriage and, especially, grief for Marianne and Marcus's young daughter Isabelle (Michelle Gylemo)
Ingmar Bergman is known for his moody, reflective work as both director and writer and "Faithless" is no exception. His story of infidelity and jealous starts off innocently enough with Marianne reacting to an offhanded proposition by drunken David with a declaration that they are like brother and sister, rebuffing the advance. Thinking it all a bit of platonic flirting, she begins to plan an affair that lands her in Paris with David while Marcus is, again, on tour. As the passion builds so does her realization that David is selfish, demanding and doesn't really care about anyone but himself. Things come to a head when Marcus catches his wife and best friend in bed. The cuckolded husband vows to get a divorce and take the one thing away from Marianne that means anything to her - Isabelle.
This long, talky Swedish language film benefits from several levels of influence. Bergman's biographic tale takes on the proportions of an accident happening before your eyes - you know, as you watch, that there is a whole bunch off hurt coming up, but it's too fascinating to turn away from. You know that Marianne's decision is going to cause pain for her, Marcus and, especially, Isabelle, but she can't stop it from happening any more than you can stop her. Your fears, you realize, are going to be met by the little family and disaster is apparent.
The fascinating drama of jealousy and betrayal is coupled with some exemplary acting, especially by Lena Endre. The Bergman-favored actress gives an enigmatic air to Marianne as she moves from innocent playfulness to a full-blown affair and damn the consequences. Marianne is beautiful enough to believe that she can control the flirting between her and David. When they go to Paris, leaving Isabelle with her grandma and Marcus touring the wilds of America, it is still under the misguided belief that there is nothing wrong in what they are doing. When David ingenuously asks about her past affairs, she doesn't see the horns of jealousy sprout. When their affair ends in anger and confrontation with Marcus, she also doesn't see that she is going to lose Isabelle, too. Endre gives a powerful, subtle performance as a woman who makes an irreversible decision and must suffer the consequences.
The men in her life are more mundane than Marianne. Each is well regarded in their respective fields - Marcus and music, David and film - but they are emotionally stilted. They understand that they both love Marianne, but neither knows the woman or her needs. In the end, everyone loses, with little Isabelle being the most profoundly affected victim of the adult decisions. Endre anchors the rest of the small cast.
Liv Ullmann lends an assured hand to her direction, showing the inspiration acquired from her mentor, Bergman. She is influenced, strongly, by the elder director, but has developed her own intimate filmmaking stance. "Faithless," actually feels more French than Swedish, the interlude in Paris notwithstanding. The close, almost stagy production plays it close to the chest as the intimacy approaches claustrophobic as Marianne's once happy life goes down the tubes.
"Faithless" is the kind of film that the buffs love, but is far too dialogue intensive to attract the more casual filmgoer. I give it a B.
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