A renowned stage actress who has voluntarily stopped speaking and moving. She isolates herself in a seaside cottage, revealing a traumatic past involving motherhood and a failed abortion through her interactions with Alma.
A former violinist living with Jan on a rural island during civil war. She questions his escapism, their possible future as parents, and his selfishness. After being captured and misrepresented in a filmed interview, she accepts Jacobi’s sexual bargain for money, and her complicity in the later violence contributes to the collapse of her marriage.
Marianne is the film’s central figure and Johan’s former wife. She visits him during his family crisis, reflects on their past marriage and later receives news of Henrik’s suicide attempt. She also recalls visiting her ill daughter Martha in a sanatorium, where they finally share meaningful physical contact.
Maria is one of Agnes's sisters and arrives at the family mansion to help watch over her dying sibling. She once had an affair with the doctor David, contributing to the collapse of her marriage to Joakim. Maria remains emotionally evasive, struggles to connect with Karin, and flees when Agnes returns in a terrifying dream.
A 32-year-old Swedish mail-order bride who travels to the West to help Zandy run his ranch and bear children. She firmly demands to be treated with respect, which gradually shifts Zandy's attitude from treating her as a purchased asset to respecting her as an equal partner.
Eva is Charlotte's daughter and Viktor's wife, living a quiet rural life while caring for her disabled sister Helena. She confronts Charlotte over her childhood and their strained relationship, then struggles with grief for her drowned son Erik and suicidal thoughts. After returning home, she writes Charlotte an apology letter, whose delivery remains uncertain.
Born near Mainz and educated in Athens, she disguises herself as a monk in Rome. Impressing Pope Leo with her intellect, she becomes his secretary, a cardinal, and is eventually elected pope. Her brief reign ends when her gender is discovered, resulting in her murder outside the Lateran Palace.
Catherine is a schoolteacher in Shangri-La whose parents died while hiking with her in the mountains. She falls in love with Richard Conway and becomes part of his contented life in the valley. Richard leaves without saying goodbye when he follows George and Maria, making their separation a painful consequence of his departure.
Joe Martin's wife. She becomes a central hostage in Ross's scheme to blackmail her husband into facilitating drug smuggling operations.
Katrine's birth mother. Lived through the German occupation of Norway, a period when women who had relationships with German soldiers faced social stigma and potential incarceration.
Johan's pregnant wife who supports him through his insomnia and hallucinations. She discovers his diary, learns about his past lover Veronica, and confronts his psychological demons. After being accidentally shot by Johan, she survives, searches for him in the woods, witnesses his torment, and ultimately reflects on their relationship and his mental state.
Pavius Fromm's wife, who is approached by federal police claiming that her life is in danger and seeking to place her under protection. She resists being separated from her husband because she fears it could affect the championship match. Her presence gives Fromm strength as he faces the approaching decisive stage of the contest.
Liv Ullmann has 125 screen credits in a career dating back to 1948. Their work spans 3 cinematic universes — most prominently Scenes From A Marriage Collection with 2 titles. Signature works include Shame, Persona, Saraband. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.
Universe traveler — spans 3 universes
Related entry on Wikidata (Q191064), public domain (CC0).
