Private Confessions

Divided into five weighty, extended conversations held at widely separated times, Private Confessions is a continuation of screenwriter Ingmar Bergman's story of his parents' stormy marriage, which began with 1992's superior The Best Intentions. While the earlier film covered the couple's loving but sometimes contentious courtship, here the focus is on Bergman's mother's adultery. Pernilla August wonderfully reprises her role as the anguished Anna, who tries to unburden herself by confessing her indiscretion to Uncle Jacob (Max von Sydow), a priest who counsels Anna to come clean with her husband, Henrik (Samuel Froler), a recriminating scold. Instead of Intentions' Bille August again directing, longtime Bergman star and protégé Liv Ullman takes the reins with mixed results. Where the bleak Scandinavian setting was like a third character in the former film, Confessions comprises mostly interior scenes with a monotonous cutting between closeups. The superlative acting cuts to the bone, but the filmmaking style makes the bones feel weary. Recommended, with noted reservations. (T. Rich)