HBO's Scenes From a Marriage was filmed in New York, despite its story's setting in the Boston suburbs. The original Ingmar Bergman miniseries of the same name was largely shot on the Swedish isle of Fårö with a smaller portion set in Stockholm. The HBO Max five-episode limited series directed by Hagai Levi takes a more contemporary approach to its source material's exploration of a rapidly deteriorating marriage.
Scenes From a Marriage follows the strained relationship between Mira (played a great Jessica Chastain), a tech executive, and her philosophy-professor husband Jonathan (Oscar Isaac)—who have been married for 10 years. The pair's facade of contentment begins to dissipate when in the series premiere "Innocence and Panic," Mira reveals an unplanned pregnancy and later decides to have an abortion, which clashes with Jonathan's initial enthusiasm at the idea of the couple's second child. The event launched the couple into a downward spiral that is set to culminate in the series' remaining episodes.
Scenes From a Marriage's limited sets and enclosed spaces align with Bergman's vision of an intensely focused and intimate narrative marked by an abundance of close-up shots. The show's filming began in October 2020 and wrapped up in February 2021. It was reported that production paused for two weeks in November due to the COVID-19 pandemic when two crew members tested positive for the virus. The majority of Scenes From a Marriage takes place in Mira and Jonathan's home, thus the show's shooting locations were limited in order to create a relationship between its characters and audience.
The set representing Mira and Jonathan's home was created in a small studio venue in New York City. Additionally, some outdoor shots were taken in a New York residential neighborhood. However, roughly 90 percent of the show is set indoors. Due to the mostly concealed nature of Scene's From a Marriage's set, the show's crew kept the filming rather discreet. As in the original Scenes From a Marriage miniseries from Ingmar Bergman, the confined shooting space allows for a stronger fixation on the main characters' relationship—which lies at the core of the show's plot.
Scenes From a Marriage greatly benefits from its limited set locations in that they make the viewer feel closer in proximity to Mira and Jonathan. The progression of the show through its five episodes allows for familiarity and thus, a better sense of understanding toward the characters due to the repetition of the setting inside Mira and Jonathan's home. As a personally focused miniseries, Scenes From a Marriage doesn't need to vary its settings. Accordingly, the couple can become the series' sole centerpiece, rendering the deeply personal narrative much more potent.
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September 22, 2021 at 12:38AM
