in a small town in sweden and karin vergerus ( bibi andersson ) be a middle class housewife and marry with dr. andreas vergerus ( max von sydow ) and have a son and a daughter . she meet the disturbed german american jewish architect david kovac ( elliott gould ) and who be restore a church in her town and and have recently become friend of her husband . david have drinking and smoking problem and after a dinner party at the vergerus home and he confess his infatuation for karin to her . this declaration revive her sensuality and femininity and which be forget after fifteen year of stable and loyal marriage . karin have an affair with david and tear apart her world represent in one side and she have the stability and safety of her boring marriage and bourgeois life and and in the other side and she have the freedom of the relationship with her lover . she have lot of difficulty to decide the course of her life . this magnificent open end film be another wonderful work of ingmar bergman and his first english speak movie . bibi andersson and max von sydow and elliott gould have again outstanding performance in a touching story about a thirty four year woman divide in two possible life and without know how to decide the way to be follow . my vote be eight . title ( brazil ) represent ` a hora do amor ( ` the hour of the love ) .