Scenes from a Marriage is a 2021 drama miniseries by Hagai Levi. It is the American remake of the 1973 show/film of the same name by Ingmar Bergman.
As in the original, the show is about a seemingly successful married couple — now a philosophy professor named Jonathan (Oscar Isaac) and a tech executive named Mira (Jessica Chastain) — whose marriage slowly fractures.
It premiered on HBO on September 12, 2021 and ran for five episodes.
Tropes:
- Abortion Fallout Drama: A large part of why Jonathan and Mira's marriage fails is because of the abortion Mira has in the first episode. Mira was already feeling trapped before it and had it so she could motivate herself to leave; the abortion then looms over their succeeding interactions since Jonathan wants another child and Mira was willing to give it a go with Poli.
- Adaptational Name Change: Marianne, Johan, and Katarina are now Mira, Jonathan, and Kate.
- Amicable Exes: While Jonathan and Mira try to be this after they separate, and for the most part are able to be cordial with each other, nearly all of their conversations end up delving into arguments that only bring out the worst in themselves. In the finale, they're shown to get along very well, though both of them are forced to come to the realization that they will never love anyone else as much as they love each other.
- Bittersweet Ending: Jonathan and Mira get divorced and are perfectly amicable towards each other, and their daughter seems to be fine, but will most likely spend the rest of their lives pining after each other with the knowledge that they're still deeply in love.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: The episodes begin with the cast and crew getting into position before the camera goes action, allowing for another layer of artificiality and pretense in a show about a marriage where both parties are pretending. The very last scene of the show is Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain wrapping up the final scene and heading off the set together.
- Foot-Dragging Divorcee: Jonathan spends much of episode 4 trying to get Mira to sign the divorce papers. Ironically, as he points out, she was the one who wanted the divorce to begin with, but losing her job and getting dumped by Poli has made her question her decision.
- Foreign Remake: The American remake of the Swedish show Scenes from a Marriage (1973).
- Gender Flip: Paula, the unseen female student Johan has an affair with, becomes Poli, the male coworker Mira has an affair with.
- Gilligan Cut: Played for Drama. In the first episode, Mira tells Jonathan she is pregnant, and the two agree to keep the baby and even discuss future renovations to their home. The scene then cuts to Jonathan and Mira at the doctor's office preparing to terminate the pregnancy, meaning something changed in the week since.
- Headbutt of Love: As depicted in the image above, and the scene most heavily associated with the show. The actual scene where Jonathan and Mira touch foreheads is very brief, only lasting for a couple seconds.
- Minimalism: Along with the Minimalist Cast, the show is set exclusively in Jonathan and Mira's house and is largely composed of the two of them having long-winded conversations as they deal with their marriage falling apart.
- Minimalist Cast: Jonathan and Mira are the only two real characters, and other characters either have very minor roles or are only heard but not seen.
- Miss Conception: Jonathan's Orthodox Jewish upbringing meant that he never actually learned how sex worked, forcing Mira to have to teach him how, much to her frustration. Jonathan, in turn, was frustrated that Mira wasn't more understanding.
- Mythology Gag: Jonathan tells Danielle that Mira was dating the lead singer of a group called Saraband when they first met; Saraband was the sequel to the original film/show.
- Setting Update: The show updates the original 70s-set version to America in the 2020s, with names and jobs changing with the times.
- Sexless Marriage: Jonathan's marriage with his second wife is one. He only married her because she was pregnant and he wanted another child.
- Sex with the Ex: Jonathan and Mira have sex in episode 4 (just before their divorce papers are finally signed) and episode 5 (after Jonathan has remarried and has had a son). They fully admit that it's a twisted dynamic.
- Shiksa Goddess: Jonathan was raised in a conservative Jewish family and gave up his religion after he got with Mira. As she says, he liked it that she didn't care for the traditions. After they split he starts picking up the traditions again. It's telling that his second wife is Jewish, although he still prefers whatever he has with Mira over her.
- Time Skip: The show employs large time jumps between episodes. The second one takes place eight months after the first, the third one takes place three months after the second, the fourth one takes place two years after the third, and the fifth episode takes place four years after the fourth.
