FAITHLESS

A lonely writer (Erland Josephson: The Hour of The Wolf, The Unbearable Likeness of Being) living on an isolated island struggles with a script based on his memory of a love story. He creates an imaginary actress to tell the tale to him as if she were the woman in the story. She recounts the tale in flashbacks of herself Marianne (Lena Endre: Jerusalem, The Eye) who is happily married to Marcus (Thomas Hanzon: The Ninth Company, Private Confessions) and have a nine year old daughter, Isabelle (Michelle Gylemo). Their best friend, David (Krister Henriksson: Waiting for the Tenor) visits their home frequently and is Isabelle best storyteller. It is on one occasion when he visit the house whilst Marcus is away that their friendship changes and a love affair begins.

Notes

"No Common Failure
Whether it be sickness or bankruptcy
Or professional misfortune
Will reverberate so cruelly and deeply
In the unconscious as a divorce.
It penetrates the seat of all anguish
Forcing it to life.
With one cut it slices more deeply
Than life can ever reach."
- Botho Strauss

This is the opening quote of the film, which sets the theme of this beautifully crafted work from Bergman/Ullmann. We are taken on an undeniable personal and emotional tale that stays with us long after the film has ended.

The film is based on real events in Ingmar Bergman's life and after many years struggling he finally wrote this script. The real events are taken from Bergman and Liv Ullmann's (Director) long professional and personal lives; it is these autobiographical details that make the film so compelling and powerful.

Ullmann has chosen not to decorate her film with impressive cinematography, instead she uses the actor/actress to bring to life this tragic tale with immense emotion and skill. The elderly writer creates an imaginary actress to recount this tragic tale. The actress who tells the tale is the same actress in the tragic love story. This makes it an intense tale, as we are able to see Marianne's inner core as the camera transfixes on her face and the audience feels compassion for her as we travel with her.

Lena Endre is breathtaking in her role as Marianne, which was chosen specifically for her by Bergman. The most moving, powerful scene I have seen in cinema for quite some time is when Bergman's 'ghost of Marianne' tells of the incident when she has to explain to her daughter, Isabelle that she is leaving her father. This scene cuts from the Marianne's face telling the story to flashbacks of her on the bed with Isabelle. Looking back at this moment Marianne realises the true impact this has on Isabelle. In one short conversation Isabelle's innocence as a child/daughter is lost in this heart crushing moment. Through Marianne's face we are able to see her sorrow and regret. Nothing will ever be the same and Marianne in hindsight knows this is the beginning of a vortex of sorrow and loneliness.

Isabelle is the innocent one in this tale, throughout this triangular love game Isabelle is never taken into consideration even when a 'tug of war' begins to gain custody of her. At one point Marianne says, 'What am I doing to Isabelle?' as she looks at her own reflection in a mirror. But through her actions she clearly knows what she is doing. All three adults state how much they love Isabelle and yet her feelings are never empathised with or discussed. Everyone including Isabelle feels loneliness and alienation. She is present when some of the most intense arguments by David and Marianne take place. We can see her putting her fragile head in her arms, feeling isolated and lonely.

Marianne begins her affair with David without any thought as to what she is about to undertake and the consequences it will have on everyone. Naively she says to David 'Lets have some fun'. David warns her when he tries to explain his intense character and the failure in life (having had two divorces), yet she brushes this aside. She evens says that having two men in her life is easier than she thought.

Everyone is faithless; Marianne with Markus, Markus with Marianne, David with Marianne and even Isabelle who knows what is happening and still keeps silent.

There is continuous reference to acting. Markus, David and Marianne work in Theatre, Marianne being a professional actress. David says to Marianne 'stop acting' and 'this is a lousy scene to end on'. This implies they are all acting, pretending. It is necessary to be a good actor to continue with the affair and to pretend not to know the affair is going on. They play their roles well - for a while until Markus can take the pretence no longer and reality kicks in.

Ullmann explains, "The unfaithfulness in the film is not conscious unfaithfulness, not an act of evil. Nowadays, living in a state of unfaithfulness is just a way of life more and more people prefer. The moral dictates disappear. Here, two men and a woman decide to 'play' an 'adult game': let us love a little dangerously, let us be happy together, let us forget what is good and evil. Then suddenly everything collapses. But the light of the story is that we can forget the hours that were full of suffering. What we must never forget is what they taught us.'

About The Director

Born in Tokyo of Norwegian parents, Liv Ullmann went to drama school in London. In 1957 she had her first film role. She was noticed on stage by Ingmar Bergman and became one of his favourite actresses, starring in many of his films. These films include Persona (1966), Cries and Whispers (1972), Scenes From a Marriage (1973) and Face to Face (1975). She has been nominated on several occasions for Best Actress at the Oscars. She has won several awards including: the American Film Critics' Prize four years in a row and a Golden Globe for her role in Jan Troell's The Emigrants and the New Land.

In 1992 she made her directorial debut with Sophie, winning three prizes three prizes at the Montreal Film Festival. Faithless is her fourth film, after directing Kristen Lavransdotter (1995) and Private Confessions (1996) which was based on an Ingmar Bergman script.

What The Critics Said

"This subtle, reflective, claustrophobic study of a marriage destroyed by adultery is exquisitely built on tease, on restraint, on tightly reined understatement."
Nick Johnstone, UNCUT.

"The fearless acting, gripping revelations and unblinking gaze on damaged and damaging relationships are timeless. Don't miss out."
Trevor Johnston, TIME OUT.

"This is a powerful profoundly affecting depiction of spiritual and emotional devastation, told with an assured and knowing hand."
Ali Kayley, DIRECTOR'S FOCUS.

"It is undeniably an engrossing tale, portraying the lives and feelings of these characters with convincing dramatic skill."
www.culturevulture.net

Credits