The stress caused by the show is really a testament to the execution of this remake though. Scenes from a Marriage feels just like that, pockets into the lives of these two individuals who are going through tumultuous moments in their lives and marriage. The show truly wouldn’t be what is it without the stellar performances from Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, who are operating at the top of their game the whole series. Chastain particularly is sensational, playing someone who on the surface can be villainised quite easily, yet giving Mira enough depth and emotion that allows you to sympathise with this supposedly bad person. Isaac on the other hand infused Johnathan with such heart and compassion while allowing a sense of anger to build underneath the knight in shining armour exterior. Both actors allow their characters to have layers, avoiding them becoming caricatures and stereotypes, all through their body language and subtle inflections when they’re talking. It’s a masterclass in acting, as if anyone expected anything less from these two.
What I find interesting is the general consensus surrounding Mira’s character, and this immediate dismissal of her feelings as she cheated it’s immediately her fault their relationship failed. However, it’s not as clear cut as that and the show, in my opinion, explores that idea quite well. Mira, while not excusing what she did, felt invisible in her relationship and undesirable to her own husband, so someone giving her attention was attractive to her. Especially as Mira comes into an age where women in society can feel displaced, both in how they see themselves and how society views and treats them, it can become lonely and all she really craved was companionship. When everything then starts to fall apart for her she says that she’s fine being alone, but the reality is she has to be ok with it cause she views that as her only opinion.
It’s the series’ exploration of loneliness and relationships forming simply to escape isolation that fascinating me. Every scene written about this topic was masterful and had me questioning and thinking about things outside of the borders of the television. Does a relationship which was built on two people just trying to avoid being alone mean that relationship is void of love, or is love a thing that builds with people over time? Or are people who choose to be alone and work on themselves inherently better as they have found who they are without the influence of others?
Technically the show is a good as one can get which predominantly takes place in one location. The cinematography and colouring are oddly magnificent considering the series takes place in a suburban home. Also, the intimacy built through the camera work evokes work seen in the likes of Normal People, you felt every emotion Mira and Johnathan feel so vividly, at times you feel like you’re in the middle of their arguments. The music which was very seldomly used is hauntingly beautiful and matched the tone of the show perfectly. It may have been sparingly used but every time is creeped in was perfect and extenuated the emotion of the scene perfectly.
However, the one major downside to the show is a problem with the concept itself. Between each episode there is a large jump in time, which is an interesting storytelling device as it shows us glimpses in their lives that only pertain to them as a couple. But often these jumps are so dramatic that any momentum and interest that’s built in one episode doesn’t deep through to the next as the events that were just in the previous episode are now a year in the past for the characters. It just felt disconnected to me, as I was so invested in their ongoing lives that having major time jumps each time was distracting and jarring. I mean it’s a testament to how good the show is that you get so invested in each part of their lives that you want to see the fallout of every conversation. Even just small insights into their personal lives would’ve made, what’s already an amazing show, more cohesive and would’ve added weight to the conversations surrounding their personal lives
★★★★
