The first time I saw this, I thought the dream sequences were disappointing. The second time, I found them interesting. This time, I felt they were a mix of the two. Some work and some are too histrionic. And that describes the movie in general. I can't keep making excuses for it, it's just not very good. There are amazing moments (the rape scene, Jenny's talk with her daughter) but then are moments that are embarrassingly hacky. It's a rather vague and cheap depiction of madness, surprising because we know Bergman can do it well (see: THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY). That final breakdown is cringeworthy. I don't blame Liv Ullmann. Bergman himself felt the movie was a failure, too ambitious. Despite some masterful elements (including a lot of Ullmann's performance) it's one of his weaker films overall. I will probably never get to see the complete version, which is too bad because I bet it comes together more cohesively, achieves a greater balance.
Review of Face to Face
