Scenes from a Marriage

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.