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FAITHLESS

"The Pain of Divorce"

What You Need To Know:

Actress Liv Ullman directs FAITHLESS, a beautifully crafted movie in the tradition of Ingmar Bergman. FAITHLESS opens with an old man opening a drawer containing some pictures. A woman’s voice asks him if he wants to fantasize. Out of the dark, emerges Marianne, a fortysomething married actress with a 9-year-old daughter. She tells the old man how she got involved in an affair with a director named David. It starts out apparently innocently and ends up destroying everyone. At the end, there’s a muted plea that "only God knows."

In its intense way, FAITHLESS is a diatribe against adultery, a condemnation of a faithless culture, a refutation of a life poorly lived. For an older audience, it may say to them that they need to reconsider their lives and give more joy and faithfulness to those around them. FAITHLESS is a very long movie, but its timing is perfect. Like a well-crafted symphony, this is not a movie for everyone, but it almost redeems the angst that can be found in Ingmar Bergman’s work. Liv Ullman has learned from Bergman and turned his sense of shame into a longing for something more - perhaps even God

Content:

(BB, LL, V, S, NN, A, M) A moral point made in a seemingly immoral world where people don’t consider the consequences of their actions; 9 obscenities & 3 "Oh Gods"; minor domestic violence & off-screen suicide & discussions of suicide; several sexual situations with no on-screen sex plus sexual talk; one very brief scene of full female & almost full male nudity; alcohol use; no smoking; and, lying, cheating & suicide.

More Detail:

Actress Liv Ullman directs FAITHLESS, a beautifully crafted movie in the tradition of Ingmar Bergman. This Scandinavian approach to filmmaking focuses intensely on the characters and the interior lives of the characters. It doesn’t have the exuberant character sketches of the Italian cinema, and it has almost no action.

FAITHLESS opens with a title saying that divorce is the most painful thing that can happen and succinctly describing the pain that divorce causes. This title sets the stage for the movie.

The movie opens with an old man opening a drawer containing some pictures. As he looks through the drawer, a woman’s voice speaks to him, asking if he wants to fantasize. Out of the dark, as he talks to this woman, emerges Marianne. Marianne is a fortysomething actress who is married to a conductor named Markus. They have a 9-year-old girl named Isabelle.

Marianne tells the old man how she got involved in an affair with a director named David. The affair starts out innocently and ends up destroying her marriage. At first, this discussion appears to be an adolescent fantasy, but it develops into a profound consideration of the consequences of one’s actions. Hindsight provides the insights that should have shaped people’s decisions. At the end, there’s a muted plea that “only God knows.”

FAITHLESS is a two and a half hour masterpiece for those who enjoy this style of filmmaking. The language is surprisingly subdued considering the topic, almost as subdued as the Swedish characters. There is one brief scene of nudity with lovers in bed together. It is not titillating, but it gives the movie an extreme caution.

In its intense way, this movie is a diatribe against adultery. It is a condemnation of a faithless culture, a refutation of a life poorly lived. For an older audience, it may say to them that they need to reconsider their lives and give more joy and faithfulness to those around them.

FAITHLESS is a very long movie, but its timing is perfect. Like a well-crafted symphony, this is not a movie for everyone, but it almost redeems the angst that can be found in Ingmar Bergman’s work. Liv Ullman has learned from Bergman and turned his sense of shame into a longing for something more – perhaps even God.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.