Scenes from a Marriage (2021) User Reviews

About marriage

[pazmandy-szilvia · 9/10 · 20 September 2021]

I could not take my eyes off of the first two episodes... I divorced and had a hard breakup, I just recognised so many of memories... it was intense, painful sometimes.

I guess many of us can see her/himself in these situations, happened to us before and will, undoubtedly.

We are not alone in this.

If you are young, never been in a serious relationship or married before, you shouldn't watch it.

Tense emotional drama of love, marriage, and doubt with ever lasting good and bad attachment.

[blanbrn · 8/10 · 28 September 2021]

"HBO's" latest limited original series "Scenes From a Marriage" which was based on a 1973 Swedish Ingmar Bergman TV miniseries is brought to light in a modern day play like form from writer and director Hagai Levi just fine as he captures the right moments and small details of a married couple to be believed perfect. As all of us can relate and know people like married couples who have lived an open marriage or had affairs, and for what ever reason after many years have just called it a wrap or divorced. And you ask what was the problem were or were not they made for one another and this series highlights those very themes.

The moments and scenes take place over years and many of the episode acts are done in the comfortable couple's home. The great brilliant series stars Oscar Isaac as Jonathan a college professor who's thoughtful and serious and plus he plays second fiddle to his high tech sales executive wife Mira(the super Jessica Chastain). Starting out the married couple talk out their lives and relationship in therapy, only things get complex with a new child on the way and an affair. The emotions and love go back and forth as the series scenes turn raw it's like watching tear jerking moments of a break away couple who are having problems letting go. As a viewer you feel honesty and tender times of sorrow.

I'm not married still this is enough entertaining drama for me to watch, still I guess many married couples can relate to moments like these. The episodes try to capture realism and rage at it's best and the acting chemistry is top notch with Jessica and Isaac making this a must watch as acting talents are on display tour de force! The entry and exit scenes are climatic and eye opening, overall this is one eye opening revealing adult series to be watched as it's a showcase of how to open up with pain and love.

Emotional repression and the person it makes you

[kennysr192 · 8/10 · 19 September 2021]

Reviewing episode 1

It's funny to see people complaining about "typical liberal BS". Jonathan's self-assured answer about his pronouns, mentioning he's a democrat or defining himself as an academic are meant to show what an insufferable ego he has. He's not really talking about himself, he's virtue-signaling. Kate and Peter moralizing their open relationship is meant to show the cognitive dissonance a couple goes through when they're in denial of how broken they are.

The theme here is repression, the way people say things about themselves to appear how they wish others would see them, rather than show the truth of how they really feel underneath. The conversations surrounding Mira's pregnancy is full of this, Jonathan tries to seem like he wants the baby when he doesn't, Mira comes up with her own justifications to hide the fact that she can't stand being around Jonathan anymore.

Jonathan and Mira are boring yuppies, no doubt. But this is not a show promoting them as people you're supposed to like. Ingmar Bergman was a master of using film to show the tensions that exist underneath the appearances of his characters, and the has done a good job with that so far. I have a feeling some of the negative reviews come from people too afraid to go down that road themselves.

Just one word. Perfection.

[markgorman · 10/10 · 18 October 2021]

This is an adaptation (by HBO and screening on Sky Atlantic in the UK) of a 1973 Ingmar Bergman classic. I had a feeling that creator (writer and director) Hagai Levi had gender swapped the story line (in the original it's the husband who has an affair) and placed some of the action in Israel (his name makes it obvious why and probably explains the casting of Oscar Isaac). The gender swap move is a neat one and immediately puts Chastain on the back foot with a big job of winning the viewer over. It's such a simple trick, but it's modern, interesting and immediately elevates it from the predictable.

To be honest there is nothing predictable about this at all. For a start the acting is so pitch perfect that you could easily be eavesdropping a real marriage breakdown and that makes it entirely uncomfortable from the get go.

And when I say the acting is pitch perfect I don't just mean 10/10, I mean better than that. Smarter than that. Realer than that. Were this a movie we would be looking at the two acting Oscars, no questions. It's like a lesson in acting.

So, that means it's boring then?

Nope.

Slow, I'll grant you that.

Intense. Indeed.

The cast list runs to 19 but this is really a two hander in which succesful businesswoman Mira (Jessica Chastain) and comparatively less succesful academic (and house husband) Jonathan split up over five intense hours.

There's virtually no music to lighten the mood, but when there is it's extremely well used.

It's not a lot of laughs. (It's Bergman). It really isn't. And it would play out extremely well on a theatre stage and yet, strangely, the direction is so superior that it doesn't for a second feel 'stagey' unlike, say, Fences.

I was captivated by this. It's so real and believable as Chastain and Isaac's marriage disintegrates, threatens to reboot, disintegrates again and generally gets into a right old mess.

This won't be everybody's cup of tea. But if you like a bit of misery and you adore great acting then tune in bro.

Simply some of the greatest acting I have ever seen!

[slider9499 · 10/10 · 5 October 2021]

This is what great acting, writing and directing are all about. One of the greatest pieces of acting I have ever seen in my entire life. If these two don't win an Emmy for Best Actress and Actor, then there is no justice in this world. A must see program.

Never seen better

[jordan2240 · 10/10 · 6 October 2021]

Having experienced a divorce under some similar circumstances, I find this to be extremely accurate in its writing, and the performances are as good as any I've ever seen. Mr. Isaac and Ms. Chastain are applying their craft as well as it can possibly be applied. We are witnessing artists creating a masterpiece. Thanks to all involved in this production for putting it on for us. I'll be truly sorry to see this end, though I can imagine the performers had nothing left to give once it did.

Astounding Acting!!!

[mcvdvd · 10/10 · 20 September 2021]

Both Jessica and Oscar are so eye opening so amazing making these 2 characters so alive so genuine so far this is a definitely amazing show GOOD JOB HBO!!!

At first I was afraid... but, wow.

[kensaiamg · 10/10 · 4 October 2021]

The first episode goes a 'certain' direction I didn't really like, but the brilliant acting and production value made me stick it out.

I'm glad I did.

I love how it came full circle by the 4th episode, And there's one more! It really does a great job of capturing both points of view. Can't wait to see how it wraps up.

P. S. This is the best acting either of these actors have done IMO. And that's saying something.

Exceptional

[IOBdennis · 10/10 · 21 September 2021]

Just finished 2 episodes of this remake. It is mesmerizing: the acting is positively incredible! And given this level of acting, the director must also be complimented. The characters are so real and fleshed out. The whole cast is amazing, riveting. The adaptation from the original Bergman film/series is also brilliant. The cinematography is masterful. I couldn't take my eyes off of each and every scene. The sets and location shots are positively dazzling.

Scenes Of Immaturity Personified

[myronlearn · 6/10 · 11 October 2021]

With all due respect to Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, two excellent actors, 'Scenes from a Marriage', in my opinion, chronicles the dissolution of the marriage of two highly dysfunctional adults behaving like high school sweethearts. The only sad thing is the two children who are the byproducts of these two mismatched narcissists. Stick with Ingmar Bergmann's far superior version.

"All the gods, all the heavens, all the hells, are within you" J.Campbell (Biggest surprise I've ever had in time)

[lareval · 10/10 · 5 December 2021]

I wasn't expecting this series to be this great. Kicking off in a superb fashion and just growing and growing in quality and perfection. To me, this is the best version of the story ever made. Its greatest reason: two flawless performances by two flawless actors. Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac deserve all the praise in the world. A surprising, well-rounded masterpiece.

Oh My God. This is torture.......

[steve-lucas63 · 6/10 · 7 October 2021]

There's no doubt that there is heavyweight acting here. The two primary roles are totally believable, as is the emotional Rollercoaster they together portray. My question is "Why would you want to watch this? If you are thinking of embarking on a change in relationship status, this won't make you feel any better. If you've already been through one, It'll definitely not make you feel any better. If you are in neither category, then this is hardly 'entertainment'.

It gets a reasonable rating from me, just on the basis of the way it's done, not because it was an enjoyable or fulfilling experience.

He turned to be worse than her

[claucrivas · 2/10 · 11 October 2021]

What a sad couple life from the beginning. The best friends are swingers? At first you hate her character but then you realize the guy is turning his life around to end up like her or even worse. Useless people hurting each other at a point the cannot enjoy anything else in life except for spending time together in their old house. Oh, this should have ended in Episode 4. The 5th episode is useless and made me feel I wasted time.

Great piece of art

[cignat-98-24648 · 10/10 · 16 September 2021]

Funny how some people rate the story rather than film itself.

Great package of fine directing, incredible delivery and solid script, to deliver truly art. From the first scenes you realize this is something special. Directing is so appropriate, gentle, non intrusive, but powerful. Isaac manages to match his partner, and this alone is a great achievement. While Chastain, wow, she is brilliant. The way she manages to express strength, social awareness and restrained sensibility in a single second is amazing. If not anything, this alone makes it worth watching.

I've been anticipating Scenes from a Marriage and so far it's quite enjoyable

[UniqueParticle · 8/10 · 13 September 2021]

Not fully sure yet what to think but it's definitely not a 3 like someone like else reviewed it. Oscar Isaac is easily one of my favorite actors so that already got me interested before release he's perfect for a drama series like this! The writing and acting seems smooth; might not get enough appreciation but I think it's got a glorious start that deserves a chance. HBO hardly ever has a bad series in my opinion and impossible for them to be over the top unless it was deliberate like a comedy regardless I love the pilot!

Brilliance lies in its nuances!

[rahuldevnitr · 9/10 · 17 September 2021]

First of all, this show isn't for everyone. People may simply watch the first 10 mins and discard it. But the truth is, it's a gem of a show...difficult to put in a genre.

Relationships are tough and the 'happily ever after' isn't the truth in 2021. That's what has been profoundly depicted by Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac in episode one. Brilliant script (not your usual family drama), with great direction and character portrayal by the leads.

Will wait to see how the next episodes unfold!

A Must Watch

[hannahmsv · 10/10 · 6 October 2021]

One of the best series I ever watched, acting is great, story and plot so real.

Phenomenal! Powerful!

[myrnalanders · 10/10 · 23 September 2021]

A master class in acting. So real and raw, I can't stop thinking about it. Wow. Just wow.

Excellent Acting & Storyline

[hillar-36881 · 10/10 · 4 October 2021]

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac really delivered in episode 4! If you feel as though episodes 1-3 dragged, be patient and keep watching because you are going to enjoy episode 4!

Slowly deflating

[waleed-53165 · 6/10 · 6 November 2021]

Starts well but by the 3rd episode I'm feeling little for either character. Although well acted, the characters become absurd as they flit from one emotional outburst to intimacy minutes apart. It just seems too manufactured and ultimately exhausting.

It's how things really are! They wrapped me up!

[kcitraro · 10/10 · 28 September 2021]

First, the answer. Yes it's worth watching! Please just get to episode 2. Then you'll see. The story line is a little too audacious and shocking. But wow! The delivery of the lines ! Intense! They just look and act the way many would. And how it really is! Got my crabby husband to even watch it. He said he liked it because they talk like normal people. . Moods are clearly defined and appreciated . The close ups and actual filming is incredible. Being able to capture the mood with intimate filming! Bravo! Lighting great! The "healing "and then the open gashed wounds of being re exposed to interactions which caused so much harm. I like the role reversal also. It's like she's playing the roll that men did for 100yrs. I "felt" this show. The monologue was outstanding. Definitely worth watching.definitely!

Faithfull US remake of the original Swedish series

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 13 September 2021]

As "Scenes From a Marriage" (2021 release; 5 episodes of about 57 min each) opens with Episode 1 "Innocence & Panic", Jessica Chastain arrives on the set, and immediately slips into the Mira character (putting on a wedding band for good measure), looking frankly sullen if not depressed. Mira and her husband Jonathan have agreed to be interviewed by a PH. D student doing her thesis on gender studies, and it's not long before Mira and Jonathan are confronted with difficult questions about the status of their marriage... At this point we are 10 min into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is a remake of the 1973 Swedish mini-series (and later a movie) from the legendary Ingmar Bergman. What is striking is how faithful Episode 1 of this remake is to Episode 1 of the 1973 series. Almost scene by scene, with the same story line, only now it has been transposed to today's US instead of the early 70s' Sweden. The remake is driven by Hagai Levi, the Israeli writer-producer-director who most recently gave us the excellent mini-series "Our Boys". The remake stands or falls with how well the two lead characters do, and on that end we are in for a treat. Both Oscar Isaac as Jonathan and Jessica Chastain (a late replacement for Michelle Williams) as Mira and in top form. The pace of Episode 1 is slow but deliberate, and feels very much theater-like. If you've seen the original Swedish series (or the subsequent movie), you know very much what to expect.

"Scenes From a Marriage" premiered this weekend on HBO, and Episode 1 is now available on HBO On Demand, HBO Max, and Amazon Instant Video. New episodes air Sunday evenings at 9 pm Eastern. If you are in the mood for something lighthearted, I'd caution you that maybe you should watch something else. If on the other hand you are in the mood for a heavy duty psychological couples drama, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

*UPDATE 9/20/21* I saw episode 2 last night. It opens with a bombshell confession by Mira, from which we the viewers are reeling the rest of the episode, right along with Jonathan. Hold on to your (emotional) seats!

I hate her

[schizza_87 · 3/10 · 29 September 2021]

I'm on the 3rd episode right now, and hopefully something will happen that will change my mind. But so far... Oh God, how I hate her character! Yes, I do understand life is not nice and people can be tough and love and marriage can be sooo messy etc. But the there is a massive disproportion between the two characters (and, yes, I do understand that sometimes, or often, that also happens in real life, but I was hoping that the TV series would actually make me understand both sides of the story, not just focus everything on selfishness of one person - I'll repeat, hopefully, something will happen further on to make me change my mind).

First of all, she's unfriendly (as seen at the beginning of the first episode, while having part in the marriage research).

Second of all, her selfishness is on level pro. Everything she cares about is her own emotions, wishes and dreams not being fulfilled.

Third of all, she has no common sense at all. He constantly tries to bring her back to Earth, even for a minute (if not for anything else, than for the time they've spent together) but she can not hide her disgust (towards him, but actually towards herself not being up to him) and acts upon her own emotions no matter what the stakes are (and, yes, I do understand she can not longer handle the empty marriage, but her attitude and behaviour towards him are so repulsive that I lost all empathy). And yes, a lot of us sometimes care only about our own emotions, but she doesn't care a tiny bit about anyone else around her, including her daughter and her recovery. I hated when she wanted Ava to move to London because 'it would be an adventure for her'. NO! It's a way for you to manipulate both of them to get her where you want her to be because YOU want to move to London. So the situation is because of YOU, and not your daughter, who you've, by the way, left once already. It's a 5 year old kid, these kind of situations are a shock and source of trauma, for crying out loud.

Fourth of all, she disregards everything her husband does (the new furniture is Ikea, and not fancy designer made; his Jewish cooking is so NO etc.). It's like: I'm the queen and everyone else are peasants with no taste! She's so obsessed with herself, it's disgusting.

Fifth of all, she has the nerve to talk about her new fancy life on front of her soon to be ex-husband while he is still in massive recovery and obviously isn't ok with it (she should know better since they've spent years being first friends, than married). That was SO disrespectful.

Sixth of all, when he brings up what he's going through and how he's been handling it (trying psychotherapy as an adult, healthy way of trying to overcome the situation) she yawns. YAWNS. I mean, come on?! Were you really trying so hard to make us dislike her?

Etc. Etc.

OK, the acting is good, but I could NOT stand seeing any more of her anxious face in the first two episodes. I started hating her so much that I'm having trouble watching this further on...

Improved as it Went, But Less Than 1973 Series

[caramia2002 · 8/10 · 30 September 2021]

Edit after Ep 5 (final): The series got better for me in episodes 4 and 5, and there are twists, with the two characters more dimensional. Episode 5 is a tour de force and I'm sad it's over. JC is more relatable, although perhaps her coldness in the early episodes was part of her conflict and unhappiness. There is a distinct and searing pain of being the one who leaves, but is rarely recognized in society or on film, but if it's here, it's just too subtle. I also haven't been re-watching the 1973 series along with this, which may have helped. I have to say that JC and Isaac do fantastic sex scenes. Not just erotic, but warmly emotional, very real, not p*rn. I'm not a big fan of requisite sex scenes (HBO is famous for them, esp those that don't further the plot) but these add to the drama, although they aren't necessary to it. I still stand by my previous review, below, esp re Liv Ullman, but glad this series improved as it went, rather than the other way around. I am raising my rating from a 7 (6.5) to an 8 (7.5), however.

Original review after Ep 3: I've been re-watching the original along with the new, and this is based on the first 3 HBO episodes. What can you say about Liv Ullman (an It Girl of her time)? She was spectacular in the original (and in so many other things; just complete mastery of her craft), as was her co-star. Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain are competent here (perhaps Isaac more so) as JC lacks the subtlety and physical mastery of Ullman. JC relies on her time worn faces and pregnant pauses while Ullman relies on...acting (with no botox).

Perhaps a comparison to the 1973 Swedish series is a bit unfair, but inevitable. It's an iconic series, by an iconic director and star, with the same plot (if gender switched and modernized), so a comparison IS fair. Poor JC, though, to be compared to one of the best actors of all time! JC Mira is even more cold than usual here and not a likeable character in any way. It's too bad Isaac is the amazing good guy and she is the villain. The original was more even, more believable, as they both were to blame for their marital problems. Ullman's Mira comes off a bit better, as the 'victim', but Isaac is downright holy in the new version. Uncomfortable to say the least.

It's also hard to really understand this without the context of 1973. Women's Lib was going full steam, wives were still often trapped in the roles of the 1950s. It was the Me Decade and people were suddenly expecting more. More romance, more sex, more happiness for me, me, me. And that is all lost here, even with the surface modernizing.

I was married when this came out, and we suffered from the same illness, and I have again, yet I couldn't really grab onto the remake or relate to it. Perhaps because JC's character and lines are so extreme and inexplicable. Not very real compared to what I went through (I played the JC role). But the original was very easy to get my head around and relate to. The current writers didn't keep the part of the script they should have and went off the rails a bit with her part. I've rarely been so unable to relate to a character.

I would have given this a 6.5, if possible, and that may be generous, but you don't see this kind of TV anymore. I wish there would be more shows with deep character development with time to explore motifs. And you must engage your brain. It's brave, it's slow, and if you are a teen or young adult, you won't get it and be bored out of your mind. Unless you've been married a while, at least. And it's not much fun, but like a car wreck, you have to watch.

Edit re multiracial couples: As always, I am dismayed to see people complaining about this. What century is this? How clueless of people to complain about non-white characters ("modernizing", "woke") while, in many cases, not even realizing they are racist, who shrink in horror at the KKK and other groups, while speaking the very party lines of said organizations.

Beautiful, sad and true

[alicianora · 10/10 · 8 October 2021]

This show does a wonderful job at portraying romantic relationships. The way it is shot allows the audience to truly engage with the emotion here. Outstanding performances by Isaac + Chastain - their chemistry is great on screen. While there is heavy dialogue the show does not drag on by any means. Relationships are nuanced and Scenes From A Marriage is just that; watch it.