As "Scenes From a Marriage" (2021 release; 5 episodes of about 57 min each) opens with Episode 1 "Innocence & Panic", Jessica Chastain arrives on the set, and immediately slips into the Mira character (putting on a wedding band for good measure), looking frankly sullen if not depressed. Mira and her husband Jonathan have agreed to be interviewed by a PH. D student doing her thesis on gender studies, and it's not long before Mira and Jonathan are confronted with difficult questions about the status of their marriage... At this point we are 10 min into Episode 1. Couple of comments: this is a remake of the 1973 Swedish mini-series (and later a movie) from the legendary Ingmar Bergman. What is striking is how faithful Episode 1 of this remake is to Episode 1 of the 1973 series. Almost scene by scene, with the same story line, only now it has been transposed to today's US instead of the early 70s' Sweden. The remake is driven by Hagai Levi, the Israeli writer-producer-director who most recently gave us the excellent mini-series "Our Boys". The remake stands or falls with how well the two lead characters do, and on that end we are in for a treat. Both Oscar Isaac as Jonathan and Jessica Chastain (a late replacement for Michelle Williams) as Mira and in top form. The pace of Episode 1 is slow but deliberate, and feels very much theater-like. If you've seen the original Swedish series (or the subsequent movie), you know very much what to expect. "Scenes From a Marriage" premiered this weekend on HBO, and Episode 1 is now available on HBO On Demand, HBO Max, and Amazon Instant Video. New episodes air Sunday evenings at 9 pm Eastern. If you are in the mood for something lighthearted, I'd caution you that maybe you should watch something else. If on the other hand you are in the mood for a heavy duty psychological couples drama, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion. *UPDATE 9/20/21* I saw episode 2 last night. It opens with a bombshell confession by Mira, from which we the viewers are reeling the rest of the episode, right along with Jonathan. Hold on to your (emotional) seats!

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