Scenes From A Marriage

This is a full-on remake that retains much of the basic framework of Bergman’s masterpiece and carries an emotional punch that’s nearly as powerful. Old Juilliard pals Chastain and Isaac, who teamed up so memorably in the 2014 crime noir “A Most Violent Year,” deliver a master class in tandem acting that’s as good as anything I’ve seen on any platform in 2021.

This new HBO version is intimate, intense, equally painful, and hard to watch at times.

It is not easy to watch, and you won’t want to do more than one episode at a time. ... Their [Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain's] performances earn Scenes from a Marriage its place at the table.

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac give masterclass performances and deliver crackling, wounding dialogue faultlessly as the marriage starts to bleed out. If you like intense, claustrophobic drama, it's here.

Nothing here, be it questions or attempted answers, is new. Too much has been said about every aspect of modern marriage and its breakdowns – not least, of course, as a result of Bergman’s groundbreaker – over the last few decades for that to be the goal any more. But they are rarely explored with such style, truth or credibility.

Nevertheless, like a loving gesture that a relationship's long years transform from a heated compulsion into a reflex, there are times in which this adaptation feels as if it's going through the motions, albeit very prettily. ... Just because a story is familiar doesn't make it worthless, of course. Watching Isaac and Chastain impressively tango, spar, and exchange carefully choreographed fireworks displays is enough of a reason to take in "Scenes From a Marriage."

This is basically a two-hander. Fortunately, and not surprisingly, the two stars make this thing live. They are each completely dialed-in and totally believable as a couple with a vast, un-erasable history whose weight can be felt in the spaces between them.

One does not come to "Scenes From A Marriage" for plot, much of which is absurd. One comes for the acting, which is largely superb. ... Our sympathies have been upended, and the questions left in the wake of it all make for a viewing that's provocative, if sometimes dire.

Scenes From a Marriage might be an unnecessary update, but when it’s at its best, Chastain and Isaac make it feel essential.

There’s no question that Bergman’s version is the superior, tougher and ultimately fairer-minded achievement. But this version showcases two actors doing some of their cleanest, truest work on screen to date.

“Scenes From a Marriage” luxuriates in its discord over five hours of give and take. Its realism is bracing, and rarely easy to watch. The truth rarely is. And if it doesn’t measure up to Bergman, what does?

As a whole, “Scenes from a Marriage” doesn’t always match the intensity of Chastain’s and Isaac’s performances. But when they burn white-hot, it’s difficult to look away.

Chastain and Isaac are the last performers to need a director’s flourishes to enhance their roles.

If Scenes from a Marriage has a saving grace, it’s the dynamic duo of Chastain and Isaac who are far and away the best part of this project. ... It’s a master class that deserves recognition, and both actors reach the depth required to sell the dialogue. I just wish the material was worthy of their talents.

The work Chastain and Isaac do here is pretty spectacular, in both the showy moments where Mira or Jonathan is going for the throat and in the subtler ones where they’re just recoiling from the latest verbal grenade their partner has tossed. ... [The] third episode was among the best hours of TV I’ve seen all year, and left me wondering if I had judged the whole endeavor too harshly to that point. But then the remaining two episodes brought a more familiar blend of moments that inspired awe, right next to ones that inspired eye-rolls.