Liv & Ingmar: A broken love story that inspired greatness

When verifying facts, to state that the fact has come directly from a very reliable source, we use the term ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’. To put it simply, the phrase implies that the information received is guaranteed to be correct since it is firsthand without having to fall under the scrutiny of any Chinese whispers. Straight from the horse’s mouth is the most appropriate words that can be used to describe Liv & Ingmar, a documentary about the relationship between famous actress Liv Ullman and highly acclaimed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman.

The docu-drama is inspired by Ullman’s autobiography titled Changing. After reading about the relationship between Bergman and Ullman, as told by Ullman, director Dheeraj Akolkar was impressed and decided to track down the source to dig deeper into their lives and find more information about the famous director and his muse. This voyage is what turns into the documentary titled ‘Liv & Ingmar’ where Liv Ullman speaks about her years with and without Ingmar Bergman, the lives they led and the happy and troublesome times they faced. The documentary is spliced with stock footage from home videos, old Bergman films and a few shots and scenes for dramatic effect, accompanied by an interview with Ullman and a substitute narration for Bergman.

To dig deeper into the life and nuances of one of the most influential filmmakers in the world of cinema, this documentary is a great insight. The theme of the documentary covers more of the personal lives and relationship of the two, eventually turning into an emotional rollercoaster as was the relationship between Ullman and Bergman. It only briefly touches on the aspects of Bergman’s work but the inseparable nature of their relationship means that every moment Bergman spent with Ullman eventually landed up being part of his inspiration for his great films.

From a completely impartial standpoint, it provides a deep look into two lives which were completely entwined, torn apart, revolved around each other gently and ultimately tied them down together as close as people can get.