Saraband

Ingmar Bergman’s close-up dissection of tortured emotions is fearless, compassionate and invigoratingly cathartic.

A belated sequel to Scenes from a Marriage, Bergman’s final masterpiece finds Marianne (Ullmann) revisiting ex-husband Johan (Josephson) after many years, and finding him immersed in a hellish triangular relationship with his son and granddaughter. Guilt, recrimination, abuse and anxiety reign as Marianne strives to apply a balm to their pain. Bergman’s close-up dissection of tortured emotions is fearless, compassionate and invigoratingly cathartic.