I have a tendency to mistrust shortened "American release" versions, so of course I watched the five hour miniseries--and now I need to watch the three-hour theatrical release just out of curiosity over what could possibly have been cut out. "Scenes from a Marriage" is one of those impeccably written and directed works where every line has its power, fascination, and importance. Liv Ullman and Erland Josephson acted so well, I can't help but feel that the more self-conscious elements of the series (the end credits read aloud, some of the ways the camera readjusts its composition) were put in there just to make sure people knew it wasn't really happening--otherwise it would have been too painful.
In terms of specific moments, there's a little too much to get into, but I think an important thing to notice is that the two characters never really lie to each other. They change their minds, they lie to themselves, they try to hide the truth sometimes, but never do they really say anything that the other person doesn't understand (or hopelessly misunderstand) correctly.
--PolarisDiB
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