The Love That Remains

Despite the pall of familial dissolution that falls over every scene, there’s a deceptive sweetness to “The Love That Remains”‘s simple, hypnotic rhythms. The Bergman comparisons are cheap, but apt—think the fly-on-the-wall marital arguments of “Scenes From a Marriage” mixed with the bursts of surrealism that intrude upon “Wild Strawberries” or “Fanny & Alexander.” By the time we peek in on this family, Maggi and Anna are already separated, but they haven’t quite locked down the boundaries that come with it. When Maggi’s not out at sea, they still spend time together, talking about frustrated dates and doing the hard work of parenting kids who still don’t quite get what’s up with Mom and Dad. (Late in the film, they still wonder whether their parents have sex. One hopes they still do.)