The story is loosely based on experiences of adultery from Ingmar Bergman's own life.
The quote from German playwright Botho Strauss in the beginning of the film is read aloud by actor Erland Josephson. He, along with the director Liv Ullmann and many of the other actors of this film, has worked with Ingmar Bergman, who wrote the script for this movie. The work can be either on the silver screen, television or on the theater stage.
The movie begins with a quote by German playwright Bohto Strauss. The quote is presented in text on the screen and simultaneously read aloud. It goes as follows: "Ingen form av vanligt misslyckande, varken sjukdom eller ruin eller motgång i yrket, ger så grymt och djupt eko i det undermedvetna som en skilsmässa. Den vidrör direkt all ångests ursprung och väcker den till liv. Med ett enda hugg tänger den så djupt som livet överhuvudtaget når." Which translates to: "No common failure, whether it be sickness, or bankruptcy, or professional misfortune, will reverberate so cruelly or deeply in the unconscious as a divorce. It penetrates the seat of all anguish, forcing it to life. With one cut, it slices more deeply than life can ever reach."