Faithless (or Trolösa) has had an interesting history. It began as life before becoming a script by Ingmar Bergman, who is often considered one of the greatest directors of all time. He didn’t direct that script though; his former partner and cinematic muse, Liv Ullman, directed it as a film nearly 25 years ago. Following that, Bergman received a strange letter from a young Swedish filmmaker asking to remake Faithless, as bold a gesture as any director could make.
Remarkably, over time, Bergman expressed interest and worked with then-36-year-old Tomas Alfredson, but the project fell apart. But now, expanded into a six-episode limited series by Alfredson and writer Sara Johnsen, Faithless is back (with the first two episodes making their world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival).
The new series is understandably broader, with more room to explore each character (and even new characters), but that doesn’t dilute the searing emotions of Faithless. It’s a limited series that will make you empathize deeply, often painfully, with the strange choices that humans make, and how and why we so easily damage our loved ones. It’s a much sexier Faithless than the 2000 film, but in a raw, sad way that’s complicated by the ramifications of desire. And it’s all acted out with extraordinary gusto, with an especially passionate and melancholic performance by Frida Gustavsson as the woman in the eye of two men’s storm. It’s all very good, and very wise.
Faithless Forms a Sensual but Sad Love Triangle with Fantastic Leads
In Faithless, the elderly filmmaker David Howard is confronted by the past in both an indictment and an opportunity, remembering his prior affair with a married woman, Marianne, and its devastating effects. Instead of the apparition of his ex-lover appearing before him, as in Bergman’s original script, Sara Johnsen constructs a less subjective and more equal approach, with the also aged Marianne visiting David. This is a smart choice and decenters the narrative strictly from David’s memory and desires.
In his 70s, David is played by the excellent silver fox Jesper Christensen; a somewhat brooding but overall effective Gustav Lindh plays him at his young age. The elder Marianne is quite delightfully played by the beautiful Lena Endre, who actually had the role of the younger Marianne 25 years ago in the film version of Faithless.
Frida Gustavsson Gives a Year-Best Performance in a Smart, Sad Series
It’s Frida Gustavsson, though, who is most memorable here in one of the year’s greatest performances. As a younger Marianne, she begins the series with a contagious joie de vivre and spiritual beauty, which makes it all the more heartbreaking when lust comes in the form of young David, a friend of her husband, Markus (August Wittgenstein, excellent at bridging pain with pettiness). If anything, they’re all a little too beautiful and cinematic for my taste, but that will surely be a boon to most audiences.
When David casts Marianne in a film, and after titillating teases, a passionate love affair begins. Your television might fog up with how steamy it gets; there is remarkable chemistry between Lindh and Gustavsson here which sells everything, along with Alfredson’s surprisingly sensual but studious direction. For a man who made one of the coldest (and best) spy films of all time (Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy), Faithless is surprisingly tactile, humid, and soft. Yet it’s all complimented by a damning self-consciousness — this is the beginning of the end.
A Wise & Forgiving Study of Sex and Human Failure
Faithless is wonderfully erudite in the way it addresses the inevitability of lust and the psychological conflict of desire. The characters are intelligent about their selfishness; they’re cognizant of consequences. Through dialogue and the time-splitting framing device, Faithless thoughtfully meditates on how people can fully commit to things they morally or logically oppose. Bergman’s story itself is very much about how the intellectual and moral registers can falter so easily in the face of desire, like a damned death wish. We run toward it, stepping on everything we hold dear.
David and Marianne’s story traces a long emotional arc with Markus (and Marianne’s daughter) caught up in the midst of it all. There is secrecy, bitterness, compassion, tragedy, and cruelty on every side of this equation. Faithless strikes a careful balancing act in not outright condemning the humanity of these characters, even if they knowingly indulge (or accept) their most harmful decisions. Framed by the older and wise David and Marianne, who are not as bound to lust and passion, the entire series has a wisdom and maturity to it that is very rare in love stories. It’s a complete view of things.
Faithless Is Scored & Photographed With Total Sophistication
Hans Ek’s dramatic but delicate score also balances things out (between characters, time periods, and emotions). Monika Lenczewska’s fantastic cinematography adjusts as the series progresses from more innocent beginnings to total emotional turmoil. She moves from the bright beauty of summer to the caramel sweetness of fall and eventually darker claustrophobic interiors.
Everything works in tandem with Alfredson’s direction and Johnsen’s script to present a critical but ultimately forgiving look at human failure, and every viewer can see themself in Faithless if they’re honest enough. You’ll walk away from the series emotionally exhausted but fulfilled, like you learned something. And you won’t be able to forget the impossibly sad but beautifully honest portrayal from Frida Gustavsson.
From Miso Film, Faithless will have its world premiere on Sep. 11, 2024, at TIFF Lightbox, and will screen again on Sep. 13 at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto.Get tickets and information here.
