Private Confessions

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Private Confessions

1996

2h 7m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

17 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Five conversations frame a flawed marriage in this film written by Ingmar Bergman about his parents. Guilt-ridden wife Anna (Pernilla August) divulges an extramarital affair to a priest, her uncle Jacob (Max von Sydow). He presses her to confess her sins to her husband, Henrik. As the film moves back and forth in time, the notion of truth is tested. Tomas, the lover, and Henrik will find that Anna's confessions do not absolve anyone, and have the power to inflict more pain.

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: A-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Ronnie Scheib

Chicago Reader

Ullman isn't particularly interested in the angst of human interaction or the difficulty of knowing truth; she seems fascinated by the pathos of feelings that are all the more intense for being of questionable integrity.

Jul 31, 2007

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

Each sequence is introduced by an intertitle suggesting it will contain an isolated conversation, an archly inaccurate notion that deepens the drama by appearing to deny its complexity.

Jul 31, 2007

Full Review

Ken Fox

TV Guide

The sight of von Sydow vomiting up a communion wafer is a pretty good indication that age hasn't mellowed the master one whit.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 31, 2007

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jun 19, 2005

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Harvey S. Karten

Compuserve

It works, and works beautifully, principally because of an outstanding performance by Ms. August.

Feb 14, 2001

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Audience Member

Although this is technically an Ullmann directed film, it has all the feel of Bergman that goes beyond what he provided in the written script. What we discover is how much of the real Bergman story is portayed in his films.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Outstanding performances (especially Pernilla August) and impeccably written script by Ingmar Bergman, make this my favorite of the trilogy. Ullman's direction is slightly more esoteric than The Best Intentions. Great choice of music too. Lastly, this is the final contribution of the late great Sven Nykvist. All around, first-rate filmmaking.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Liv Ullmann

Director

Pernilla August

Anna

Max von Sydow

Jacob

Samuel Fröler

Henrik

Thomas Hanzon

Tomas Egerman

Kristina Adolphson

Maria

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Synopsis

Five conversations frame a flawed marriage in this film written by Ingmar Bergman about his parents. Guilt-ridden wife Anna (Pernilla August) divulges an extramarital affair to a priest, her uncle Jacob (Max von Sydow). He presses her to confess her sins to her husband, Henrik. As the film moves back and forth in time, the notion of truth is tested. Tomas, the lover, and Henrik will find that Anna's confessions do not absolve anyone, and have the power to inflict more pain.

Director: Liv Ullmann
Producer: Ingrid Dahlberg
Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman
Production Co: SVT Drama
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Swedish
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Surround