Scenes from a Marriage

Johan and Marianne's marriage appears stable, but their relationship begins to unravel when Johan reveals an affair. Over several years, we follow their separation, divorce, and continued interactions as they form new relationships while remaining emotionally bound to one another.

Scenes from a Marriage (1973) is a Swedish national-television chamber drama miniseries created by Ingmar Bergman for SVT1. Liv Ullmann plays Marianne and Erland Josephson plays Johan, a seemingly settled couple whose marriage begins to fracture when he confesses an affair. The engine of the series is conversation: each of its six long episodes is built from raw, unhurried confrontations over kitchen tables, bedrooms and restaurants, where honesty, self-deception and wounded pride keep colliding. Over several years the pair separate, divorce and form new relationships, yet they keep meeting and remain emotionally bound, which gives the story its shape as a single continuing arc rather than a case-of-the-week format. The series is a limited miniseries, and its tone is melancholic, sardonic and intensely intimate, with close framing that holds on faces in distress. Set in 1970s Sweden among the urban professional middle class, it carries the austere, psychologically probing tradition of Bergman's cinema. Fans of Marriage Story, Divorce and Fanny and Alexander will find resonance in its unsparing study of love, selfishness and the difficulty of letting go.

Critics broadly acclaim the film-like intimacy and unflinching honesty of the performances and writing in this portrait of a marriage coming apart.

• Marriage Storyintimate marriage drama, slow burn emotional unraveling, talky chamber character study
• Divorce (2016)chamber drama of a couple's emotional collapse, sharp dialogue, serialized intimacy
• Fanny and Alexanderraw marital dissection, bittersweet adult relationships, Scandinavian intimate realism
• Normal Peoplelong-form domestic drama of marriage and self-deception across years

Created by

Ingmar Bergman

Release Date

1973-04-11

Episode runtime

297 min

Rating

8.5 / 10 (150)

What is Scenes from a Marriage about?

A Swedish marriage unravels after an affair, and across years of separation and new partnerships a husband and wife remain bound to each other.

What is Scenes from a Marriage like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Scenes from a Marriage as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is Scenes from a Marriage violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Scenes from a Marriage.

What did critics think of Scenes from a Marriage?

Critics broadly acclaim the film-like intimacy and unflinching honesty of the performances and writing in this portrait of a marriage coming apart.

Which shows are like Scenes from a Marriage?

Shows with a similar feel include Marriage Story, Divorce (2016), Fanny and Alexander, and Normal People.

How long is Scenes from a Marriage?

Scenes from a Marriage: 1 season, 6 episodes.

Is Scenes from a Marriage still running?

No, Scenes from a Marriage has ended.

Where can I watch Scenes from a Marriage?

In United States, Scenes from a Marriage streams on Criterion Channel.