Liv Ullmann's Faithless tells a tragic story about an adulterous affair that crushes both a marriage and the relationships between the parties involved.
Such a brief description, however, does not do justice to the unadorned painful honesty with which this film presents love, lust, shame, guilt, and the inability to forgive. The quiet and lucid, yet articulate cinematography allows the movie to be first and foremost about the people and the conversations that lead to their actions.
An imaginary woman Marianne (Lena Endre) recounts to Ingmar Bergman (Erland Josephson) -- an aging author -- her adulterous affair with the best friend of her loving, successful, but at many times distant husband. Throughout a series of these therapy-esque meetings between Marianne and Bergman she narrates in meticulous detail the thoughts, reasons, and events of this long-ago affair. As she talks, the sessions with Bergman sometimes turn to flashbacks of the character's discussions, never really "doing" much of anything.
The movie starts with the first of these meetings between Marianne and Bergman as she begins to recount the demises of all the meaningful relationships in her life. She was a successful actress with a beautiful young daughter Isabelle (Michelle Gylemo), an attractive, internationally-renowned conductor husband Markus (Thomas Hanzon), and the best friend of her husband -- also a dear friend to her -- David (Krister Henriksson).
Then one night, David, suffering from a doomed marriage, comes to Marianne for support. He asks her to bed. She agrees though only in the literal sense and they sleep together holding only each others hands. But soon enough their conversations lead them to a covert vacation in Paris where they physically begin their affair.
The situation becomes complicated and agonizing yet oddly enough routine when the two return home and continue their infidelity. Eventually they are found out by Markus. While the marriage crumbles, Marianne and David try to forge some kind of a sincere relationship. Humiliated, Markus tries to take a stab at Marianne by lobbying for full custody of Isabelle.
The two-hour plus chronicle is mostly dialogue and narration, a legendary characteristic of Ingmar Bergman scripts but a rare thing in modern films. But this is exactly what I love so much about this movie. The audience is given the rare ability of a multifaceted insight to these people -- especially Marianne.
Faithless is, really, an actor's dream; the heavy expressive dialogue allows for the actors to showcase their talent in a way that most films do not. Though the entire cast is phenomenal it is hard to not be blown to bits by the performance given by Endre.
I can honestly say that it is in the top five performances that I have ever seen from an actress in a film. And her poignant act is only further brought to life by the brilliant framing of cinematographer Jörgen Persson who knows just where to put her face in each of her soliloquies.
The premise of the story may seem somewhat redundant, but Ullman has created a beautifully communicative film much like its screenwriter would have: truthfully, perceptively, and with the utmost tenderness and sympathy for its characters.
