Face to Face

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Face to Face

R

Released Apr 5, 1976

2h 16m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

80%

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20 Reviews

83%

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500+ Ratings

Dr. Jenny Isaksson (Liv Ullmann) is a psychiatrist whose temporary summer gig at a mental hospital offers only modest responsibilities. With her husband out of the country for a seminar and her daughter at camp, Jenny moves in with her grandparents, expecting a relaxing few months. But it isn't long before unpleasant memories of her childhood, the sudden appearance of strange apparitions and a near-rape push this otherwise stable woman to the very edge of sanity.

Martyn Auty

Time Out

Bergman's most potent psychodrama from the cycle that began with Cries and Whispers and ended with Autumn Sonata.

Apr 18, 2017

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Keith Uhlich

House Next Door

Cries out for Madeline Kahn to step in, cigarette in hand, and inquire, "Phallic-un zymbol?"

Apr 19, 2008

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

Mr. Bergman is more mysterious, more haunting, more contradictory than ever, though the style of the film has never been more precise, clear, levelheaded.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 31, 2007

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Liv Ullman accomplishes, without debate, the most notable performance of an actress in 1976, and her scene of hysteria is so real that you don't know whether to applaud or run from the theater. [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 15, 2023

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Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

Face to Face is the year's heaviest drama, and its realism will be too much for most people to handle. Liv Ullmann gives one of the all-time great female star performances as a psychiatrist who's losing her mind.

May 9, 2023

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Judith Crist

Saturday Review

Bergman’s Face to Face is one of his finest films, the most humanistic and thereby the most accessible, perhaps because it is the most personal.

Aug 8, 2022

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Melissa L

Very weird movie. I didn't like it at all. I have no idea why it has such high ratings. Waste of time...definitely do not recommend!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/21/24

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Claes D

Great! Stream at: https://vimeo.com/cinematographab/vod_pages. Fantastic performance by Liv Ullmann

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/01/23

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steve d

Ullmann gives her best performance.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

I was torn with this one, on one hand I find it features the best performance in an Ingmar Bergman film, and on the other I found the film to be long and tedious at times. I have been watching a lot of Bergman films lately and have come to realize that I definitely prefer his earlier films. I am not saying this isn't a good film, but rather that it just wasn't for me. It did earn Oscar nominations for a truly deserving Liv Ullman and also for Bergman himself. Give it a watch and decide for yourself.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

Face to Face simply knocked my socks off. There is little point in trying to weave more praise and it shouldn't be a surprise to any long time readers as it is yet another pairing of Imgmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann. The experience of the film is similar to watching a pool of gasoline gradually spreading at a drip pace toward a flaming zippo, we all know what is going to happen as Ullmann plays a psychiatrist suffering with a mental illness. I would warn that Face to Face is not immediately available in the US and the copy I secured looks like a DVD copy of a video that had been rented out for years before the transfer.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Audience Member

Liv Ullmann es fuera de este mundo, impecable y memorable en su actuación.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Ingmar Bergman

Director

Liv Ullmann

Dr. Jenny Isaksson

Erland Josephson

Dr. Tomas Jacobi

Gunnar Björnstrand

The Grandfather

Aino Taube

The Grandmother

Kari Sylwan

Maria Jacobi

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Synopsis

Dr. Jenny Isaksson (Liv Ullmann) is a psychiatrist whose temporary summer gig at a mental hospital offers only modest responsibilities. With her husband out of the country for a seminar and her daughter at camp, Jenny moves in with her grandparents, expecting a relaxing few months. But it isn't long before unpleasant memories of her childhood, the sudden appearance of strange apparitions and a near-rape push this otherwise stable woman to the very edge of sanity.

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Producer: Lars-Owe Carlberg
Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman
Production Co: Cinematograph AB, Sveriges Radio, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Swedish
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 5, 1976, Original
Release Date (DVD): Oct 1, 2015
Runtime: 2h 16m