Scenes from a Marriage (Scener ur ett äktenskap)

- This room will be ideal for pictures. - Sit here on the sofa.

SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE

Nice, isn't it? Let's see some happy faces.

I NNOCENCE AND PANIC

Smile. You too, Mom.

Watch the hair!

That's the shot.

Are we done? - I think so.

The girls can go, at any rate.

- Good job, girls. - Go have your sandwiches.

Good as gold. Bye-bye.

How about some shots of the husband and wife on the sofa?

Sure. Move forward.

Don't slouch down.

- I'll make myself look smaller. - Make it a close-up.

Talk to each other.

Marianne, turn your gaze a bit. - Look as if you're fond of each other.

Now smile at each other.

Hold it. That's great.

I got my shot, thank you.

Take a few portraits, too.

Well, let's get cracking. I generally use a standard opener

to put people at ease.

- I'm not particularly nervous. - All the better.

So, how would you describe yourselves in a few words?

- That's tricky. - Is it?

- I might give the wrong impression. - You think so?

It sounds cocky if I say I'm bright,

youthful, successful and sexy.

My mind has a global scope, I'm educated and a I'm a great mixer.

What else?

I'm a good friend, even to those less fortunate than myself.

I'm sporty, and I'm a good father and a good son.

I don't have any debts, and I pay my taxes.

I respect our government, no matter what.

I love our royal family. I don't belong to the state church.

Is that good, or do you want more details?

I'm a fantastic lover. Isn't that right, Marianne?

Maybe we should skip that question. Your turn, Marianne.

What can I say?

I'm married toJohan and we have two daughters.

I can't think of anything else. - Sure you can.

- I thinkJohan is very nice. - How kind of you.

- We've been married for ten years. - Yes, I just renewed the contract.

I lackJohan's boundless self-assurance,

but in all honesty, I'm happy I lead the life I do.

It's a good life, if you know what I mean.

What else should I say? This is difficult.

- She has a great figure. - I'm trying to take this seriously.

I have two girls, Karin and Eva. - You said that already.

Let's move on to the particulars. How old are you?

- I'm 42, but it doesn't show. - I'm 35.

We come from ridiculously bourgeois backgrounds.

Johan's father is a physician.

My mother is very much the mother.

My father is a lawyer.

It was decided early on that I would become one, too.

I'm the youngest of seven children.

My mother ran a large household.

Nowadays she takes things easier. - Oh, really?

Oddly enough, we enjoy the company of our parents.

We see each other often, and we rarely clash.

Maybe we should talk about your professions.

I'm an associate professor at the Psychotechnology Institute.

My field is family law.

I belong to a large law firm and deal mostly with divorce.

The interesting thing about my job is -

Don't move! Hold that pose.

Take a picture and get that look.

Good. Great.

- Oh, that makes me feel - - You'll get used to it.

How did you meet?

I'll leave that toJohan.

Now that's an interesting tale.

It wasn't love at first sight.

Both of us socialized quite a lot, and we often ran into each other.

For many years we were heavily involved in political causes

and belonged to a drama group at school.

We weren't particularly interested in each other.

I guess Marianne thought I was conceited.

At the time,Johan was in a highly publicized romance with a pop singer.

It gave him a certain image, and he was cocky.

At 1 9, Marianne was married to a boy whose only virtue was a rich father.

He was very kind, and I was crazy about him.

I also got pregnant.

- But how did you - - Get together?

Basically, it was Marianne's idea.

My baby died soon after it was born, and my husband and I split up.

Johan's singer had given him his walking papers.

Both of us were shaken,

so I suggested we start seeing each other.

We weren't in love, but both of us were unhappy.

We realized that we got along famously,

and our grades improved.

So we decided to live together.

We expected our mothers to be shocked, but they weren't.

They became fast friends.

We were accepted as a couple

and got married six months later.

- By that time we were in love. - Madly in love.

- People saw us as the perfect couple. - And it's been that way ever since.

Without any hitches?

Our material needs are met.

We get on well with all our friends and relations.

We have good jobs that we enjoy. We're in good health.

And so on and so forth, to an almost embarrassing degree.

Security, order, contentment, loyalty.

We're indecently fortunate.

We do have our disagreements, but basically we get along well.

- Don't you ever quarrel? - Marianne quarrels.

Johan is so slow to anger that it takes the wind out of my sails.

That all sounds fabulous.

I heard someone say just last night

that the very lack of problems could cause strife.

We're well aware of the hazards of a life like ours.

Hazards? How do you mean?

The world is going to the dogs, and I prefer to live and let live.

I'm entitled to simply look out for number one.

It makes me sick to hear about the latest panacea.

- I don't feel the same way as Johan. - How do you feel?

I believe... in compassion.

Could you please expand on that?

If we all learned to care about our fellow man from childhood,

the world would be different.

Hold that pose. Look into the camera.

I'd better check in the kitchen.

The girls have to go to the dentist, and I'm worried they might sneak off.

Bye.

To be honest, it's not that simple.

That's true.

How do you mean?

Once upon a time, we felt safe.

Nowadays we realize that bad things can happen at any time.

That's the difference.

Are you afraid of the future?

If I dwelt on it, I'd probably be paralyzed with fear.

Which is why I don't.

I like this old sofa and that lamp.

They create the illusion of being safe - such a ridiculously fragile illusion.

I like Bach's St. Matthew Passion even though I'm a nonbeliever,

because it creates a sense of piety and community.

I depend heavily on interaction with our relatives,

since it recreates the childhood experience of feeling protected.

I enjoy Marianne's talk of compassion.

It soothes the conscience, which acts up at inappropriate intervals.

Remaining content requires a certain technique.

You need to put a lot of effort into not caring.

I really admire people who can laugh everything off.

I can't.

My sense of humor isn't well-developed enough to pull that off.

Are you going to include that?

No, it would be beyond our female audience,

if you'll excuse me for saying such a thing.

What should we talk about now?

I've got lots of questions.

Would it be all right if I made a call first?

Of course.

- I'm sorry it took so long. - That's quite all right.

Where's Johan?

He had an urgent call to make.

I guess we'll have to amuse ourselves.

You know, I don't think we've seen each other since school.

No.

Do you run into the old crowd often?

Not really.

It's so nice to see that you and Johan get along so well.

You are truly happy, aren't you?

Everything you say sounds so wonderful.

But then again, someone should be entitled to a perfect life.

I don't know about perfect, but we're fortunate.

We're happy.

Could you define the word happiness?

Do I have to?

It's a women's magazine. You have to.

If I said anything about happiness, Johan would make fun of me.

No, I can't. You'll have to make something up.

Don't be evasive.

Happiness is contentment.

There's nothing I really long for.

I want things to stay just the way they are.

What about fidelity?

Really, now.

Come on, help me flesh this out.

Johan's a dear, but nothing much is said while he's around.

Fidelity.

Yes, fidelity. In a loving relationship.

What should I say?

In your line of work you must have come across -

My personal belief is that fidelity needs to be a given.

It can't be an obligation or a rule.

You can't promise fidelity.

Either you're faithful or you aren't.

I'm faithful toJohan simply because I enjoy being faithful.

I don't know how I'll feel tomorrow or next week.

Have you ever cheated on Johan?

This is getting a bit too personal.

I'm sorry.

I have one last question whileJohan is on the phone.

What about love?

You have to make a statement about love.