Scenes from a Marriage (2021)

The update of Bergman's miniseries is affecting and exquisitely acted, finding its own path while remaining in parallel to familiar territory. It singles out the honest, agonizing performances of Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain for praise.

The HBO miniseries belongs to its stars, who give life to the story through extraordinarily well-acted and often affecting performances. It singles out Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain's chemistry and believable portrayal of a couple with deep history for praise.

The update is emotionally gruelling but the powerful central performances from Chastain and Isaac keep viewers engaged in this talky two-hander about the painful work of ending a relationship.

The remake is relentlessly intimate and focuses on one fracturing couple with a dense script that captures the impossibility of neutral communication once a relationship sours. It deals sensitively with questions of long-term relationships, gender dynamics and the worth of separation, with strong performances from Chastain and Isaac.

The review highlights a relationship breakdown that is compelling and hard to turn away from, praising the intense focus on the central couple's emotional turmoil.

Levi's update is an interesting, beautifully played acting showcase but lacks the emotional wallop of Bergman's original, feeling more like a detached head exercise than raw marital drama. Spectacular turns from Chastain and Isaac are the main draw in an otherwise unconvincing remake.

Tremendous performances from Chastain and Isaac elevate this otherwise uninspired, derivative adaptation that feels insufficiently reflective of its source or modern context. It succeeds as a performance-driven piece but lacks fresh insights into relationships.

The series excels as a theatrical acting exercise for Chastain and Isaac but undercuts its own reality and fails to deliver coherent insight into marriage or acrimony. Fleeting cinema-vérité elements highlight its limitations rather than strengths.

The gender-swapped remake fails to convince due to a striking lack of chemistry between Chastain and Isaac, making their marriage implausible despite strong individual performances. A few moments, like the abortion reveal, land with authenticity amid an otherwise stagey drama.

The critic finds the remake unnecessary and somewhat flawed in its approach, but praises the powerful performances by Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain that make the emotional truths about relationships compelling.

The review criticizes the series for not warranting a remake, lacking uniqueness or depth beyond the original, but highlights the strong chemistry and performances of Chastain and Isaac as the main saving grace.

The HBO remake, created and directed by Hagai Levi, updates Bergman’s original with contemporary gender roles and pandemic-era production flourishes but remains a claustrophobic portrait of a dissolving marriage. While Chastain and Isaac deliver intense performances, the series feels overly familiar and emotionally draining without offering fresh insight into modern relationships.