Saraband

Genre: psychological drama
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Release: 2003
Studio: Norsk (NRK) et al. - Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: -
MBiS score: 8.6/10


Still A Few Embers In The Fireplace


Thirty years after SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (recently reviewed), Marianne (Liv Ullmann) suddenly feels the urge to visit her ex-husband Johan (Erland Josephson) who now lives in a remote region of Sweden. But why? It’s all a mystery to her… and a compelling one at that. With Börje Ahlstedt (Henrik, Johan’s son), Julia Dufvenius (Karin, Henrik’s daughter) and Gunnel Fred (Martha, Marianne and Johan’s daughter).

SARABAND may be viewed as a stand-alone film but you will appreciate it even more if you have witnessed Marianne and Johan’s shared struggle in SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE. Like in the original, the story here is painfully intimate yet always interesting... a true feat if you consider that there are never more than two characters on screen at any given time. Nowadays, the relationship between Marianne and Johan is as ambiguous as it was during their marriage; while living apart, they can still fill an indeterminate void in each other’s soul. Of course, their fire is almost spent now but, in an odd and inscrutable way, are they still in love? Quite possibly.

In SARABAND, you will also meet Henrik, young Karin and Anna, Henrik’s deceased wife who appears only in a photograph but whose spirit haunts every other character on screen. This trio's own festering drama will come to a head while Marianne is visiting Johan, thus embroiling everyone in sight. Sparks will fly between our angst-ridden characters and, when the dust finally settles, not all questions will be resolved… but such is the curious magic of life.

That being said, there is little action in SARABAND. Sets are minimal and visuals are often limited to faces in close-up, a technique well-suited to Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson who are not afraid to show wrinkles as much as talent.

Is there anything else? Not for now. SARABAND is quite simply an arid, stormy and mesmerizing film, a sequel worthy of the original. Don’t miss this last directorial turn by one of cinema’s most proficient artists, the late, great Ingmar Bergman.


MBiS

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