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HBO’s Scenes from a Marriage: A remake done right

Everyone is in for a treat this September because the powerhouse actors that are Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac are starring in the much-anticipated limited series Scenes from a Marriage. It is also a long-overdue reunion for the pair as we have not seen them together since J.C. Chandor’s “A Most Violent Year.”

If you have not seen that movie, do yourself a favor and go watch it. It is, without a doubt, a performance by both actors that would convince you that they’ve got their acting chops down. And if you are still unconvinced, then Scenes from a Marriage will set you straight.

Scenes from a Marriage was originally a Swedish mini-series written and directed by the legend Ingmar Bergman. The series delves deeply into a wealthy married couple’s relationship spanning a decade. Despite having to condense the original six-part miniseries into a three-hour film for the American audience, it was still very well received, even earning a two thumbs up from Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, Roger Ebert.

Perhaps Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage translated so well to different kinds of audiences because it was based after his own life and five-year marriage (1965-1970) to wife and muse Liv Ullman. Ullman also top-billed the miniseries with co-star Erland Josephson.

The HBO limited series of the remake gives you a more relatable, modern, well-to-do couple in Mira and Jonathan. Although it does not take away from the essence of Bergman’s original — still examining the same issues of desire, hatred, monogamy, marriage, and divorce — the show’s writer and director Hagai Levi does inject issues that are only present in this day and age given the highly developed social complexities of modern-day America.

In the opening scene of the first episode, the couple is being interviewed for the PhD study on gender issues by Jonathan’s colleague at the university he is a professor at. In this scene, they discuss Mira’s role as the bigger earner of the household, “working in tech,” distinguished and sought-after, while Jonathan pulls more weight at home due to his more flexible hours as a professor.

Levi presents such a banal scene that might almost be ignored by the viewer, maybe risk it being passed off as an unimportant scene when he, in fact, is already giving you a full introduction of the characters. In the first ten minutes, the viewer is already shown who the characters are as individuals, what their dynamic is like as a married couple, and a history of their relationship — all under the cover of such a seemingly ordinary scene.

It leaves the audience guessing and wanting to know more. There is a subtlety to the way everything is presented by Levi in the show, even in the intentionally muted performances of the actors in especially riveting scenes, that although it may feel like you’re watching something unremarkable it still leaves you emotionally invested in the characters.

The mini-series almost exclusively stars Isaac and Chastain. It’s safe to assume that one can expect a lot of lengthy dialogue. Each episode takes you to an hour of Jonathan and Mira’s life through a span of months, sometimes years, apart. A lot of the backstory of what happened from the last episode to the next is casually revealed in the dialogue between the two main characters.

Personally, I don’t have a problem with films or shows that have a lot of dialogue (*ahem* The Newsroom), but I know it can be tedious for some people. But trust me, every episode of Scenes from a Marriage is slathered thick with such deep portrayal of the necessary emotional climate that each episode demands.

It does not need to be said that the chemistry between Isaac and Chastain is palpable. Maybe it’s the comfortability of being friends in real life. Who knows? After all, Chastain was not originally cast as Mira, but instead was supposed to be played by Michelle Williams. Due to scheduling conflict, Williams had to drop out and Isaac had suggested his friend Chastain replace her.

I dare say that Chastain was the better choice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRuVWHnQlV8&ab_channel=HBO

In addition to starring in the series, Isaac and Chastain are also producers alongside Amy Herzog, Lars Blomgren, Daniel Bergman, Blair Beard, and Michael Ellenberg via Media Res. Scenes from a Marriage airs on HBO this September 12 and is written and directed by Hagai Levi. While waiting, you can catch the emotional trailer from HBO.