Scenes from a Marriage is an American drama television miniseries developed, written and directed by Hagai Levi produced for HBO, and starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. It is an English-language remake of the 1973 Swedish miniseries of the same name by Ingmar Bergman. It was presented at the 2021 Venice Film Festival and it premiered on September 12, 2021, on HBO. For his performance, Isaac was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, a SAG Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, with Chastain also earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Television Film.
Contents
Premise
An adaptation of the 1970s Swedish miniseries focusing on a contemporary American couple.
Cast
Starring
Oscar Isaac as Jonathan Levy
Jessica Chastain as Mira Phillips
Co-starring
Nicole Beharie as Kate
Corey Stoll as Peter
Sunita Mani as Danielle
Shirley Rumierk as Dr. Varona
Sophia Kopera as Ava Levy, Mira and Jonathan's daughter
Anna Rust as Veronica
Michael Aloni as Poli
Plot summary
The five-part miniseries follows Mira, a tech executive, and Jonathan, a philosophy professor, as the seams of their seemingly stable marriage begin to come apart. After a research interview about their relationship seems to expose hidden tensions, the couple hosts a dinner party with Kate and Peter, a couple in an open marriage. Kate expresses grief about the end of her relationship with her current lover, leading to an argument with Peter that separates the two women and two men as they all attempt to cool down. Kate and Mira discuss marriage and fidelity before Kate kisses Mira in a moment of misunderstanding. Soon after, Kate and Peter leave, and Mira admits to Jonathan that she is pregnant. After much debate about the pressures of raising another child, they decide to have the baby, though they later change their minds and abort the pregnancy.
A time jump shows Jonathan fully immersed in his duties as the primary caretaker of their daughter. He tries to write in a partially renovated attic and masturbates to pornography as soon as their daughter is in bed, though he goes for a run the next morning while listening to a podcast encouraging men to break their pornography habits. Mira is busy with a possible promotion at work, though she manages to make it home in a snowstorm, the main purpose of which is not to see her daughter but to tell Jonathan that she has fallen for another man through work and will be leaving on a work trip with him the following day. Jonathan and Mira spend long periods arguing about her decision to leave, but Mira is resolute. They fall asleep in bed, and Mira sweetly caresses Jonathan's cheek when she wakes the next day, until she remembers her reality and hurries to shower and pack for her flight. After having trouble with her suitcase, Jonathan ends up packing it for her while she watches, emotional. Mira leaves to be with her lover, Poli.
Later, Mira visits Jonathan at their house, which she no longer lives in. She is flirtatious, and the two share a pleasant conversation over drinks. She has been offered a promotion, though it would require moving overseas, a move Jonathan immediately rejects. He reads Mira a journal entry he wrote to process his own life and grief over their broken marriage. Afterward, they kiss, though Jonathan stops it from going any further, saying it wouldn't be good for him or his progress. He invites her to stay over, but his girlfriend keeps calling. He answers and admits that he is in bed with Mira. Later, in the kitchen, Jonathan claims that his and Mira's relationship was the biggest miracle of their lives and that they shouldn't have thrown it away. Mira says she's too messed up inside.
Production
It was announced in July 2020 that HBO had given the miniseries a greenlight, with Hagai Levi writing and directing, and Oscar Isaac and Michelle Williams serving as executive producers. Upon the miniseries order announcement, Isaac and Williams were also cast to star. Williams would be forced to exit her starring role in October due to a scheduling conflict, but would remain as an executive producer. She was replaced with Jessica Chastain. In November 2020, Sunita Mani was cast in a supporting role. Nicole Beharie, Corey Stoll and Tovah Feldshuh would join in supporting roles in January 2021.
Filming began in New York City in October 2020, and was halted for two weeks in November after two production staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
Release
The five-episode limited series had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in the out of competition category. The limited series premiered on September 12, 2021, on HBO.
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 81% approval rating with an average rating of 7.50/10, based on 48 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Though Scenes from a Marriage's straightforward approach at times struggles to justify its existence, Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac's crackling chemistry and impressive performances are a sight to behold." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 based on 24 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".