"I remember being completely floored by this story; it struck me deep inside with a single blow," says acclaimed director Tomas Alfredson of his first encounter with Faithless, multi-award winning filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's tale of the tangled and torn relationship between three people, told across two time periods.
Said to be inspired by events that took place in Bergman's own live, Faithless in the original screenplay was the story of an old man who talks with an woman conjured by his imagination, harking back to events of the past. In the new version, the woman is real.
In 2000, Bergman's screenplay was made into a film directed by Liv Ullmann. It was seeing this film that inspired Alfredson to create his own version, a project that took two attempts before making it onto the screen as a gripping, stylish six-part drama series.
Frida Gustavsson and Gustav Lindh in 'Faithless'. Credit: SVT / Monika Lenczewska
The new Faithless (Trolösa is the Swedish title) introduces viewers to David (Gustav Lindh, Queen of Hearts, Jordskott), a struggling director going through a bitter divorce; his best friend Markus (Das Boot's August Wittgenstein); and Markus's wife, Marianne (Frida Gustavsson, Vikings: Valhalla). When David returns from London to Sweden to work on a new film, a passionate affair develops between him and Marianne, with devastating consequences for all of their lives. In the present day, we see David (award-winning Danish actor Jesper Christensen), now a renowned director, crossing paths again with Marianne (Lena Endre, who played the young Marianne in the film version), forcing the pair to confront the effects their affair and its fallout had.
Jesper Christensen and Lena Endre as present-day David and Marianne. Credit: SVT / Johan Paulin
Alfredson, known for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Let the Right One In, explains how watching the 2000 film inspired him to make his own version.
"It was just over twenty years ago; I must have been around 35, battered by a separation, and one evening I hid in the darkness of the cinema to watch Faithless.
"I remember being completely floored by this story; it struck me deep inside with a single blow. Through his artistry Ingmar Bergman has demonstrated his unique understanding of us humans, but never as starkly or directly as in Faithless. I managed to get hold of a copy of the screenplay and became fixated on the idea of making my own interpretation of the material.
Bergman was a god, not someone you could casually pitch a cheeky proposal to over a beer.
"In the hubris one can feel, when believing to have had a fantastic idea, I decided to write a letter to Bergman to ask if he would consider letting me do this. I should mention that this was at a time when remakes were not being done frequently, especially not of this particular author. Had I asked anyone for advice, I would most likely have been strongly dissuaded. Bergman was a god, not someone you could casually pitch a cheeky proposal to over a beer.
"My letter went intensely unanswered for probably half a year until one day, when I was on the subway, the phone suddenly rang. 'Hello, this is Ingmar Bergman. I’ve just read your letter. What the hell do you mean? Is this some kind of drunken idea you’ve had, and if so, have you sobered up?'.
"I explained that I was sober when I had the idea and that I was still sober. He thought it was a damn strange thing to propose, but he was interested in my motives for the venture. I told him about my thoughts on how I wanted to create my interpretation, and he thought it sounded very exciting. He suggested we should have a few conversations and see what we could come up with.
"In our first conversation, he assured me that he had no intention of interfering in any way. He had seen some things I had done, which he was very fond of, and had full confidence that I could carry out the task.
"Already by our third conversation, he started asking who the cinematographer would be, who would play the leading roles, which company would produce it, which filming locations would be suitable, and what colour the curtains should be in scene 43.
"Ingmar Bergman was not known for leaving anything to chance, and I began to feel that I wouldn’t be able to do this project without him looking over my shoulder. The eagerness and desire slowly faded away like a reversed Polaroid picture, and the project shelved itself for the time being."
Tomas Alfredson on set during the filming of 'Faithless'. Credit: SVT / Johan Paulin
Luckily, his passion for the story got a second chance more recently, when he was approached by Swedish Television to work with them. Thinking of possible projects, his mind turned to Faithless again.
"I wondered now as a 56-year-old, would it still be exciting to read? And could it resonate with me in a new way?," Alfredson explains.
"The text was still as restless, sorrowful, romantic, and embarrassing. After all it is about transgressions and consequences. Not about crime and punishment in the criminal world, but about transgressions in the most intimate sphere. Where the pain is greatest and where the wounds never heal.
August Wittgenstein as Markus Vogler. Credit: SVT / Johan Paulin
"It is an intense gripping story about transgressions between friends, betrayals of loved ones. About lies that hurt those who mean the most to us. A story about how unfairly infidelity affects its victims, but also how human, fragile and loving the perpetrators are.
"With Faithless, I wanted to explore how we learn to tolerate what we once couldn’t tolerate. I wanted to tell a story about the remarkable power of love to grant mercy and forgiveness.
"Screenwriter Sara Johnsen has made a fantastic and entirely unique interpretation of Ingmar Bergman’s text, and I have had the opportunity to work with a cast of some of the finest actors we have in Scandinavia; Frida Gustavsson, Gustav Lindh, August Wittgenstein, Jesper Christensen, and Lena Endre – continuously spellbinding and for whose performances I am eternally grateful."
This is an edited version of material supplied by Miso Film / SVT
Faithless (not to be confused with the Irish comedy of the same name, which is also available ) is streaming at SBS On Demand
Stream free On Demand
Faithless
series • drama • Swedish
MA15+
series • drama • Swedish
MA15+
Jesper Christensen can also be seen in several films streaming at SBS On Demand, including , and .
