Faithless (2000)

An imaginary woman recollects the painful experience of adultery to a storyteller.

Director:

Liv Ullmann

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Stars:

Lena Endre, Erland Josephson, Krister Henriksson

8 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Lena Endre	...	Marianne
Erland Josephson	...	Bergman
Krister Henriksson	...	David
Thomas Hanzon	...	Markus
Michelle Gylemo	...	Isabelle
Juni Dahr	...	Margareta
Philip Zandén	...	Martin Goldman
Thérèse Brunnander	...	Petra Holst (as Therese Brunnander)
Marie Richardson	...	Anna Berg
Stina Ekblad	...	Eva
Johan Rabaeus	...	Johan
Jan-Olof Strandberg	...	Axel
Björn Granath	...	Gustav
Gertrud Stenung	...	Martha
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Åsa Lindström	...	Prompter 2

Storyline

Marianne is a theatre actress married to an orchestra conductor, Markus. She becomes involved in an affair with their director friend, David, which leads to a painful divorce and battle for custody of their daughter, Isabelle. Although all of them are merely fictional characters created by Bergman, their experiences become very real and traumatic for him.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | full frontal female nudity | barefoot woman | full frontal male nudity | adultery | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, some nudity and language

Details

Country:

Sweden Italy Germany Finland Norway

Language:

Swedish French

Release Date:

15 September 2000 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Faithless

Filming Locations:

Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,462, 28 January 2001

Gross USA:

$739,055

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$918,033

Company Credits

Production Co:

Classic, Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond, Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

154 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The story is loosely based on experiences of adultery from Ingmar Bergman's own life.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Sweet November/Recess: School's Out/Down to Earth/Faithless/Yi Yi (2001)

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Soundtracks

Quartet for piano and string trio, Opus 60
(3rd movement)
By Johannes Brahms

User Reviews

A Triumph For Ullmann And Bergman

Ensconced in the study of his house on a secluded island off the coast of Sweden, an aging director reminisces and reflects on aspects of his life apparently still in need of resolution, in `Faithless,' written by Ingmar Bergman and directed by Liv Ullmann. Bergman is the name of the director, played by Erland Josephson, who engages in a fantasy conversation with a woman named Marianne (Lena Endre), who confesses to him her affair, after eleven years of marriage, with a man named David (Krister Henriksson), the best friend of her husband, Markus (Thomas Hanzon). Through their conversations, as well as scenes depicting particular episodes from her life-- beginning with the initial encounter with David-- we learn the intimate details of Marianne's life, as well as Markus' and their young daughter's, Isabelle (Michelle Gylemo) and, of course, David's. It's an intense, engrossing character study that examines the weaknesses and foibles of human nature to which we are all susceptible. It's a story that is, by turns, grim and thoughtful, at times poignant, while at other moments distressing, as it reflects the myriad emotional levels to which the human condition is prone at any given time. As the story progresses, it becomes impossible to distance yourself from the characters involved in the drama, for there is so much about them with which anyone in the audience will be readily able to identify; not necessarily with the infidelities, but grounded in the choices we all must make throughout our lives and the consequences thereof, and upon which a film like this precipitates rumination. As with all of the films Bergman has written and/or directed during his career, it is a pensive, thought-provoking incursion into reality. As she proved with her directorial debut of the 1997 film `Private Confessions,' also scripted by Bergman, Liv Ullmann is more than up to the formidable task of bringing Bergman's story to the screen. Her style of directing is similar to Bergman's, as could be expected-- their close working and personal relationship has spanned more than thirty years-- but her approach is perhaps a bit softer than his, and uniquely her own. In the final analysis, any similarities are primarily due to the story, which lends itself to the style Bergman perfected and upon which Ullmann certainly draws. It's not so much a matter of imitation as it is of following an intrinsic pattern conducive to the storytelling, and Ullmann has an innate sensitivity to the material that translates into the presentation of the drama and elicits the necessary sympathy and compassion from the audience that enhances the impact of it. Like Bergman, she uses the camera to help capture the sense of the drama visually, which at times creates an almost ethereal, poetic atmosphere that contrasts so well with the more stoic aspects of the story. Ullmann has an excellent sense of rhythm, and the pace of the film allows the viewer time to assimilate the many nuances of emotion expressed through the characters. Lena Endre gives a remarkable performance as Marianne, infusing a passion into the character that makes it ring so true to life, and it's one of the strengths of the film. She bares Marianne's soul, leaving no question as to the inner turmoil with which she must cope, and it reflects in Bergman's character as well; through her struggles we also feel the remorse of Bergman's character, and upon reflection it makes you realize how effective Josephson is in the role of Bergman. For it is in his subtle reactions to the phantom Marianne, and in his silent ruminations, that we learn so much about all that has transpired in their lives. Henriksson gives a notable performance as well, deftly exposing the complexities of the character that lie beneath the somewhat reserved exterior of the man, while Hanzon is effective as Markus, as is Gylemo as the young Isabelle. With `Faithless,' Ullmann firmly establishes her mark as an artist of extraordinary vision and sense of reality. Her collaboration with Ingmar Bergman is a cinematic triumph, and we can only hope that there will be more to follow, for with every film they make, another chapter is written in the Book of Life. I rate this one 10/10.