"Faithless" **** (out of ****)"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
Liv Ullmann's "Faithless" starts off with this quote, as it is said in a voice-over, over a black screen. "Faithless" was released in the United States back in 2001. It was written by the great Ingmar Bergman and directed by perhaps his greatest muse, Ullmann. Bergman didn't direct the film because after the 1984 U.S. release of "After the Rehearsal" Bergman swore off directing. He did still however direct many Swedish television movies and plays.
At this time in Bergman's life, as we can assume, the master felt death gained closer and closer on him, Bergman started to clear out his closet so to speak. His screenplays in the 1990s and early 2000s were reflections on his past, his childhood, his parent's relationship and as is the case with this film, an affair the filmmaker was involved in.
Ingmar Bergman has not been shy to admit his personal failings. He was known to have relationships with his actresses, including Liv Ullmann, the two had a child together, while Bergman was married to another woman. Is "Faithless" based on their affair? I can't say, but it doesn't really matter. "Faithless" is not so much about the actually affair as it is about the guilt associated with it. It haunts the character in this film and we can assume correctly haunts the writer as well.
Watching "Faithless" again I was struck by how much of a confession the film plays out as. Bergman makes very little attempt to disassociate himself from the material. One of the characters in the film is even named "Bergman". You simply cannot talk me out of believing this character is Ingmar Bergman himself. The film was also shot on his island, Faro and in Ingmar Bergman's house.
The story has an old man, Bergman (played by the great actor Erland Josephson) alone on his island preparing to write a story. A young woman named Marianne (Lena Endre) visits him. She is a 40-ish year old actress. She acts out a story of infidelity between herself and a man named David (Krister Henriksson), clearly Bergman as a younger man. And the effects the affair had on her marriage to a famous conductor, Markus (Thomas Hanzon) and her 9 year old daughter Isabelle (Michelle Gylemo). The character Bergman was married to a woman named Marianne and this leads to an interesting question. Is the Marianne who visits Bergman real? Is she simply a character in his story? Is she the real Marianne? Or is she just a ghost? "Faithless" doesn't answer these questions and to be honest it is just as well.
When we first see Bergman and Marianne together, Bergman is sitting at his desk. He opens a drawer and takes out some photos. One is of a young girl (Isabelle) then other we only see the bottom half of the face. We cannot make it out, but, it resembles Liv Ullmann a bit. Suddenly Marianne's voice is heard. She wants Bergman to "describe her character" when he does she appears.
The film now shifts from their conversations and flashbacks of the story Marianne is telling. Liv Ullmann, who had directed another Bergman script "Private Confessions" proves herself to be a good director. I don't want to say she merely copies Bergman's style but we can see the influence Bergman has had on her. She too likes lots of close-ups of character's faces. One interesting scene has Bergman and Marianne sitting by a window. The sun shines brightly through. Bergman draws the shade halfway down. In long shots the characters are in the dark. In close-ups there is dim light hitting the side of Marianne's face. When she discusses the first time she and David slept together she pulls up the shade in a sense, bringing light on the situation. It is a very clever use of lighting.
Few filmmakers have used cinema in such a confessional way. As we watch "Faithless" I sometimes felt I'm seeing and hearing things I shouldn't. I actually felt emotional pain. I was starting to hurt inside. Bergman is able to connect with the viewer that strongly. Many of us live with guilt. And those memories haunt us. We hate ourselves when we think of our actions and why we didn't react differently in a given situation. Bergman uses cinema as a form of therapy. He is sharing the most personal details of his life with strangers. That is partly what makes "Faithless" so appealing. It is very risky to share so much with an audience. What if they don't respond kindly? That is what makes Ingmar Bergman so brave. He is willing to put so much on the line. As an amateur filmmaker myself, I never like to tell personal stories. I keep my life out of my stories and collect inspiration from other movies, music and literature. So a director like Bergman I find fascinating for that reason.
The film ends with Bergman and Marianne separating and again I wondered about her. Even if she wasn't real I don't think it matters to Bergman. His loneliness and guilt have taken over his life. Like a holy confessional Bergman needs to confess his sins to whomever will listen. Now, which Bergman am I talking about?
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