3.5/5
Stars
Liv & Ingmar is a documentary on the
42-year-old relationship between legendary actress Liv Ullman and the master
filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. It was screened at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival as a
part of The Real Reel section.
It's an immensely touching documentary on
the romance, separation and subsequent friendship between the two cinematic
legends. The archive footage has been tailored in beautifully as have the
scenes from the several films in which they worked together.
Liv and Ingmar met in 1964, lived together
for five years, had a child and worked in 12 films. Five decades on, following
Ingmar's death, the love has still not died down. The documentary is
predominantly interspersed with interviews of Liv Ullman. She speaks about her
relationship with Ingmar over 4-5 major aspects. They are Love, Pain, Anger,
and Friendship and so on. She speaks about the time that she spent with him at
his famous house on an island in Sweden.
She speaks about the good times and the bad
times leading to their eventual separation. She also talks about coping up with
the separation and pursuing a career in Hollywood subsequently. She goes on to
talk about how she bumps into Ingmar again and a friendship ensues!
The concept of the film is quite brilliant.
With a balanced screenplay by Dheeraj Akolkar and fine editing by Tushar Ghogale,
you don't realize how the 83 minutes breeze past. The music by Stefan Nilsson
is touching in parts and when required, escalates the tension in the film as
well. It's extremely courageous of Liv to come out and talk about a few
uncomfortable aspects about her relationship. You could see that she was
overwhelmed while talking about the physical violence and the indifference
shown to her by Ingmar during the latter phase of their 5-year-old romantic
liaison. It's really gutsy of her to come out and present truth the way it was.
It's a sensitive, touching portrayal about
a true love story. Relish it and take something back.
Shivom
Oza
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