Faithless (Trolösa)

Released 2000
Stars Lena Endre, Erland Josephson, Krister Henriksson, Thomas Hanzon
Directed by Liv Ullman

"Faithless," a film made from his screenplay and directed by Liv Ullmann, is intriguing in the way it dances in and out of the shadow of [Ingmar] Bergman's autobiography. We learn in his book The Magic Lantern, for example, that in 1949 he was involved in an affair something like the one in this film--but we sense immediately that "Faithless" is not a memoir of that affair, but a meditation on the guilt it inspired.

Ingmar Bergman has had his name on films for nearly 60 years. Some are among the best ever made. In old age he has grown more inward and personal, writing versions of his autobiography, usually to be directed by close friends. The films shot on Faro are in a category by themselves: chamber films, spare, chilly, with grateful interiors warmed by fires or candles. In "Faithless," scenes in Stockholm and Paris show cozy interiors. And then all is reduced to the spare, stark office where "Bergman" sits and remembers, summons his muses, and writes.

Summary from Roger Ebert

In 11 years of marriage I've never even come close to cheating, and movies like this are one of the reasons why. It's one thing to betray your spouse and ruin your marriage, but it's another thing to break up your family when kids are involved. This is a very good film that shows Ingmar Bergman's guilt for destroying a family unit and then emotionally abandoning his lover when she needed him the most. I like to come into a movie without knowing anything about it, but I actually wish I had known this was based (emotionally if not factually) on one of Ingmar Bergman's autobiographies. It would have helped me understand why Marianne would leave the stable, loving Markus for the lout David. Knowing David was really the super-famous Ingmar Bergman helps explain it, but I'm guessing Bergman doesn't even know why.

Since I didn't know it was Bergman's story, it took me quite a while to figure out it was the old man's story and not Marianne's. There's such longing and regret in the old man's eyes and face as Marianne relives her past, that it's obvious the setup isn't what it seems. I would have better connected with the story if I had figured out the secret sooner, however, and I would have better known why we never learn Marianne's motives. Even so, I enjoyed the device, which was an interesting way to showcase the sorrowful guilt of an old man. --Bill Alward, July 27, 2003