No one stirred throughout the entire screening of Faithless as the sold-out audience watched rapt, on the edge of their seats. With twists and turns, emotional intensity, and camera shots reminiscent of legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's intriguing Persona, Faithless commands complete attention from beginning to end.
Faithless is based on a script by Bergman and directed by Liv Ullman--who starred in many of Bergman's films, including Persona, and who has become an interesting director in her own right.
The seasoned actor Erland Josephson, who has frequently appeared in Bergman's films, played Bergman himself writing this screenplay based on his life. Watching Josephson's expressive eyes and facial movements--as he depicted Bergman searching for inspiration--offered some of the best moments in the film.
The film focuses on the consequences of an affair that an actress, Marianne (played by Lena Endre), has with David (Krister Henriksson), one of her husband Markus's closest friends. The affair began when David, depressed and down on himself, dropped in one evening and asked if Marianne would sleep with him. She was startled and then amazed at the suggestion. Trying to find a kind way out, she agreed to comfort David by allowing him to sleep next to her in her bed. However, this platonic solution raised their relationship to a new level of intimacy and evoked an unexpectedly passionate response in her.
Although it is engrossing, the film has several weaknesses. The unlikeable character of David appears to be an earlier incarnation of Bergman, now seen with an unforgiving and self-condemning eye. Yet, as a character in the story, he is so self-involved, selfish and unpleasant that he makes the affair difficult to comprehend.
Also, since the emotional texture of Markus and Marianne's interfaith marriage is inadequately evoked, we don't understand why she would choose to leave it. Neither do we know enough about the joys and frustrations of the bond between Marianne and her daughter Isabelle (Michelle Gylemo). When Marianne decides to move in with David, she does not seem very concerned about Isabelle. Then, after Markus files for custody of Isabelle, a scene where Marianne sobs about her fears of losing custody feels inauthentic. Subsequent scenes depicting Isabelle's reactions to the changes in her life achingly capture the careful gestures of a child who has suffered a trauma and doesn't know whom to trust. However, at the same time, the scenes felt tacked on--an afterthought.
Finally, the character of Markus--beyond his identity as a brilliant Jewish orchestra conductor--remains opaque for much of the film, and the ending felt unnecessarily extreme and violent.
Although the screenplay is flawed, this is still a captivating film. The acting is superb, and the emotional intensity a welcome change from more conventional films.
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