SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE

US, 2021, 5 episodes, 280 minutes, Colour.

Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, Sofia Kopera, Nicole Beharie, Corey Stoll, Tovah Feldshuh, Michael Aloni.

Directed by Haggai Levi.

Scenes from a Marriage is based on the 1973 Swedish television series of the same name, written and directed by the classic film director, Ingmar Bergman, starring Liv Ullman and Erland Josephson.

This version has been adapted for the television screen by Israeli director, Haggai Levi, the originator of the Israeli television series which became the American In Therapy. He has directed both in the US and in Israel.

This time the stars are Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, working excellently with each other and off each other. They portray a husband and wife who have known each other for 12 years, married for 10 years, with the young daughter. The action takes place over the succeeding five years.

The American version has five chapters compared with the Swedish version’s six. And the five American chapters retain the same names for each scene from the Swedish titles. However, the series opens, especially the first three scenes, showing the actors, the sets, the actors proceeding to the sets with make up… And then moving into action. And the series ends with the two actors leaving the set, walking together towards their dressing rooms.

The first scene offers a lot of information, a marriage researcher questioning the couple about the qualities of their marriage, then a sequence where friends come for dinner and there is a clash of moods and opinions about fidelity in marriage, and then a final sequence where the wife, Mira, tells her husband, Jonathan, that she is pregnant.

The second scene is something of a surprise, Mira having gone back to work, successful and being promoted, and beginning a relationship with a younger fellow worker. The news and Mira’s explanations have quite a devastating effect on Jonathan, intense clashes. And this continues into the next two scenes, Jonathan’s reaction to his situation, his devoted care for his daughter, Mira explaining that she has been offered another promotion. However, the next scene moves on to preparations for a divorce, the selling of their house and packing up all the possessions, issues of signing contracts or not.

The final scene is brief, Jonathan returning from his father’s funeral – one of the few sequences outside the house. But, then the film returns to the house, the final meeting between Jonathan and Mira, and the realisation that despite their love for each other there will be no marital reconciliation, something of a deranged and complex devotion to each other.

Intense viewing.

1. Quick The impact of a five-part television series? Chapters, themes, the passing of time, issues?
2. The origins of the series in Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage, Sweden, characters, situations, the transition to the US in the 21^st-century? The Israeli writer-director and his perspectives?
3. The openings of the first three episodes, the actors, the sets, their being brought onto the sets, and the transition to performance? The finale and the two walking out together and to their dressing rooms?
4. The strong cast, the effectiveness of Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain? Working with each other, off each other?
5. The visuals, the interiors of the house, some of the chapters confined to the house, to the downstairs rooms? Venturing out of the rooms, Jonathan and his father’s funeral and the car ride with his mother? The end and his going to his car, watching the removalists’ van, driving off? The musical score and its tone? Songs, Opera excerpts?
6. Scene one: Innocence and pain, the researcher, the questions and answers, Ava interrupting, the couple alleging being happy, knowing each other for 12 years, married for 10, the way of elaborating the history through the questions? Jomathan’s needs in the questions and answers, Mira and her deference to Jonathan? The domestic detail? Jonathan as Jewish, academic, asthma? Mira and her work, time off for caring for Ava? Visit of Peter and Kate, the conversations, their situation, both married, their affair, the drinking, discussions, arguments, fidelity? Kate and the bond with Mira, Kate upset, going upstairs, their talk? Peter and his drinking? Their leaving, upstairs, the revelation of the pregnancy, each deferring to the other, issues of age, not knowing what they thought? Going to see the doctor, the examination, discussion, the Coca-Cola, Mira dizzy, the reassurance of the doctor?
7. Scene two, Poli? Seeing Jonathan as a good father, spending the time with Ava because of academic flexibility, Mira at work? Her sudden arrival home, tension, references to Poli, her gradually admitting of the affair, the detail, her job, when and how to tell Ava, arrangements for Ava? The back-and-forth of the conversation, anger, dismay, intensity? Mira saying she was stifled, wanting freedom, loss of love for Jonathan? The issue of the abortion, the motivation? Getting into bed, the intimacy, the discussion, the bewilderment? Her story, Poli as 29, details about him? The audience stances, judgement or not, towards Mira and her choices? Jonathan as victim?
8. Scene three: the Vale of Tears? Jonathan home, Ava, his rediscovering his Jewish background? The reason for Mira’s visit, the offer of the job in London? The range of options, even Jonathan and Ava going to London? His refusal? Discussions about care and visits? The psychological situation, Jonathan and therapy, reading his text aloud, her comments? Tension, the sexual encounter on the floor? The background of the history of attitudes to sexuality, Jonathan and his narrow Jewish behaviour, going to have the shower? The issue of his wanting children, possibilities for IVF? His smoking again? The growing intensity of the arguments?
9. Scene four, The Illiterates, the house, for sale, the packing, the stickers, the issue of the contracts, Mira having read them but refusing to sign, her attitude towards divorce, Jonathan wanting yes or no? The revelation that she had been fired? The effect on her? The phone calls to Ava, her babysitter? Mira eventually arguing, signing the documents, hitting Jonathan?
10. Scene five, In the Middle of the Night, in a Dark House, Somewhere in the World, opened out, the Jewish funeral, Jonathan driving his mother, interrogating her about the marriage, her defensiveness, his attitude towards his father? His arriving, Mira picking him up, the surprise, going to the house, transformed by new owners, Air BnB, an opportunity for remembering, the talk, being alone, sexual attraction, behaviour? The issue of whether there would be any future? The surprise visit? searching the house, memories and change? Jonathan and the phone call, the revelation that he had a son, his joy, finally revealing this to Mira? Upstairs, the lights and the music, no more moral superiority, freer attitudes, affairs? The Jewish background, Ethan’s mother as Jewish? The split with Poli, the scene at the restaurant, his attitude, the audience seeing him for the first time? Their staying in the house, the Jewish tradition of Shiva for seven days, each of them with their dreams? The end of trauma? And accepting that they would always love each other in a deranged kind of complex way?