''Private Confessions'' ( sv, Enskilda samtal) is a 1996 Swedish
drama film directed by
Liv Ullmann
Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...
and written by
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...
. It was screened in the
Un Certain Regard section at the
1997 Cannes Film Festival
The 50th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 May 1997 in film, 1997. The Palme d'Or was jointly awarded to ''Taste of Cherry, Ta'm e guilass'' by Abbas Kiarostami and ''The Eel (film), Unagi'' by Shohei Imamura. Jeanne Moreau was the mistre ...
.
''Private Confessions'' is also a short TV series in two parts, premiering on
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB ("Sweden's Television Stock Company"), shortened to SVT (), is the Sweden, Swedish national public broadcasting, public television broadcaster, funded by a public service tax on personal income set by the Riksdag (national ...
in 1996.
''Private Confessions'' can be seen as the last part of a loosely united trilogy - with the
SVT series ''
The Best Intentions'' (1992) directed by Bille August and Daniel Bergman's directed film ''
Söndagsbarn'' (1992) as the previous work - based on Ingmar Bergman's stories about his parents complicated relationship life in his marriage and also some of his own childhood memories (all in a somewhat rewritten form). It was the first of the two works that Liv Ullmann was asked to direct on Ingmar Bergman's manuscript; followed by the film ''
Trolösa'' (2000). The series is divided into two parts of long film length, a total of 195 minutes, and is produced by Sveriges Television in cooperation with the other Nordic national public service broadcasters.
Pernilla August was awarded a number of international film prizes.
Sven Nykvist, Bergman's long-standing cinematographer, shot the film.
As an independent continuation of the longer series, the story beings with the main couple, the clergyman Henrik (Samuel Fröler) and his wife Anna (Pernilla August), a few years later in the 20th century. The two have begun to grow apart from one another. Anna meets a young student, Tomas Egerman (Thomas Hanzon), and a secret love is born between them. Many years later, Anna, consumed by contradictory feelings and guilty of the deceit against her husband, confides in her old confirmation clergyman, Jacob (Max von Sydow). Through the series, Anna has various profound, existential conversations with the people around her: Jacob, Henrik, Tomas, her mother Karin Åkerblom (Anita Björk) and her friend Märta (Gunnel Fred).
Cast
*
Pernilla August as Anna
*
Max von Sydow as Jacob
*
Samuel Fröler as Henrik
*
Anita Björk
Anita Björk (25 April 1923 – 24 October 2012) was a Swedish actress.
She was born in Tällberg, Dalarna and attended the Royal Dramatic Training Academy from 1942 to 1945. She was a leading lady of Swedish theatre for many years and wor ...
as Karin Åkerblom
*
Vibeke Falk as Ms. Nylander, housekeeper
*
Thomas Hanzon
Sven Thomas Hanzon (born 20 June 1962) is a Swedish actor and stage actor at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and former footballer. He was born in 1962 in Stockholm, Sweden. He worked with Ingmar Bergman in both movies and on stage. He ...
as Tomas Egerman
*
Kristina Adolphson as Maria
*
Gunnel Fred as Märta Gärdsjö
*
Hans Alfredson as Bishop Agrell
* Bengt Schött as Stille, verger
References
External links
*
*
Private Confessions' PDF
1996 films
1996 drama films
Swedish drama films
1990s Swedish-language films
Films directed by Liv Ullmann
Films with screenplays by Ingmar Bergman
1990s Swedish films
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