I doubt that Bergman's script would have made much of a film even if he had directed it himself, but it might have been less confused.
Comment
01/01/00
Private Confessions (1996)
80
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:15
Fresh:12
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6.9/10
Synopsis: The autobiographical story of Ingmar Bergman's parents: his passionate but isolated mother Anna, and his stern, moral father Henrik--a Lutheran minister, and their icy marriage. Presented out of... [More]
Starring: Pernilla August, Max von Sydow, Samuel Froler, Anita Bjork
Director: Liv Ullmann
Get This Movie
Reviews for Private Confessions
1 - 15 (sorted by rotten rating)
Top CriticNo review available.
06/19/05
Ullman isn't particularly interested in the angst of human interaction or the difficulty of knowing truth; she seems fascinated by the pathos of feelings that are all the more intense for being of questionable integrity.
07/31/07
Ullmann handles the rich material with simplicity and feeling, using snatches of classical music only sparingly and concentrating on the faces of her exemplary cast.
07/31/07
Bergman may have withdrawn from film direction, but his presence is deeply felt in Private Confessions.
01/01/00
It works, and works beautifully, principally because of an outstanding performance by Ms. August.
02/14/01
Private Confessions achieves an enveloping intensity that goes well beyond its occasionally literal and earnest approach.
01/01/00
Top CriticIt's the next best thing to Bergman -- a thoughtful, if slightly long drama enlivened by warm performances and some thoughtful meditations on the subject of adultery.
01/01/00
The sight of von Sydow vomiting up a communion wafer is a pretty good indication that age hasn't mellowed the master one whit.
07/31/07
Each sequence is introduced by an intertitle suggesting it will contain an isolated conversation, an archly inaccurate notion that deepens the drama by appearing to deny its complexity.
07/31/07
Top CriticThe reward for a pace that's sometimes frustratingly slow is in seeing truths and levels of emotion that are rarely captured on screen.
01/01/00
Top CriticComing from the master's hand, the result is unique, akin to a deep plunge into a northern lake -- there's a chilling clarity to the experience, a harsh beauty that's softened, yet never redeemed, by unexpected pockets of relative warmth.
03/19/02
A film like Private Confessions makes most films about romance look like films about plumbing.
01/01/00
Top CriticThe actors clearly respond, August conveying the turmoil of a woman trapped by circumstances and her own febrile emotions, Sydow a figure of towering moral authority and compassion.
02/09/06
Von Sydow is magisterial. His gaunt face and rumbling voice have become, for me, impossible to distinguish from Bergman's own.
01/01/00
1 - 15 (sorted by rotten rating)
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
History of Disney Animation 
MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.
90 Years of Screen Vampires
TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.
Virtuoso Vistas of Lovely Bones
Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.
Recent Headlines as TV Movies
AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds