Faithless

by Ariana.

The voice of Ingmar Bergman is still echoing in today's cinema. Sven Nykvist, Max von Sydow, Liv Ullman and even Bergman fils have all directed good films penned by Ingmar, since his retirement from the screen. However, if you are yearning for a newer Bergman flavored film, you are better off seeing "the Ox," or even "Sofie" than watching "Faithless." Aside from a handful of Cassavettes-style forehead closeups, there is no similarity to the voyeuristic camera and powerful beauty Bergman achieved with Sven Nykvist. The set designs at best reflect the modstyle of "Passion of Anna", but outside of the script, those are the only touches one can reach for in this film.

"Faithless is about a twenty first century woman who has practically no sense of moral duty and the pain that her whims have wrought on everyone in her life. It could not be more the opposite of "Sofie" Liv Ulmann's first attempt at directing a Bergman script. "Sofie"was a period piece full of rich scenes, full sets, and is about a victorian woman who, throughout her entire life secretly carries unrequited passion in order to fulfill family expectations. Most notably, it captured not only Bergman's timing of opening a story up but it had a lot of that sort of beautiful blue-grey/chiaroscuro Nykvist created.

In the script for "Faithless." one finds all the typical Bergman themes: the female lead is almost childlike in her self discovery and behaviour, there is a constant search for any universal meaning to life, an odd fascination with death ...and sex, all that good scandinavian stuff- but the casting and direction are completely NOT Bergman. I suppose to avoid the already auto-somewhat-biographical structure of such a creation- Ulmann has chosen a lead who is (to understate) not as aesthetically pleasing as she or Bebe Anderson, (hell, I'd even prefer to see Max von Sydow in drag) ...but she is able to create this sort of stunned childlike cry which resounds from both of them. Unfortunately, the movie is done in mostly one person narrative and the director's choice to have this actress narrate monotone doesn't work as well as the vulnerable and likable monologues of movies in which Ulmann once acted. In fact, it was wearying sitting through the first two hours of a film with no likeable characters-save for the minor parts of the professor and the daughter. I was beginning to wonder if Neil LaBute had been the script consultant...

When, just as the audience begins to break belief and look at their watches, suddenly the movie eats you alive....it's like mainlining film-pure Bergman manic beauty....psychologically charged and full of mythic strength. In Ullman's book, "Choices"...she flutters between everyday joys and complaints into sudden bursts of beautiful writing and the film is similar in focus. That was what the movie was like-2 hours of "ugh....." and fourty minutes of complete awe.

Note: One can not help but wonder; had Ullman not been born so pretty, could she have become a Masterfilmaker herself.... or if she hadn't been born such a beauty would she have never even been introduced to this world of artfilmaking,...maybe she'd just be another housewife shopping for bargains at Steen & Strom's department store?

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