If you believe in love at first sight, you never stop looking.
An intriguing tagline from a film which is defined by love, power, revenge, deceit and betrayal. Closer is a disturbing film which charts four years of the intertwining lives of four people, brought together by chance encounters, who find themselves caught up in an emotionally draining game of love.
The stunningly beautiful Natalie Portman plays Alice, an ex-stripper who goes to London, meets and falls in love with Dan (Jude Law). Dan is an obitruary writer who will then write a book using Alice's life story as the premise. Dan then meets Anna (Julia Roberts), a photographer who's in charge of taking his publicity shots. The sauve Dan finds himself incredibly drawn to Anna. Anna then meets Larry (Clive Owen), a doctor, and ends up marrying him. Dan and Anna however are never out of each other's lives. They end up having an illicit affair and watch how the drama unfolds as a consequence of it.
All four of the main characters are flawed in their own ways which makes for a good watch, 'cos really, that IS what humans are. Flawed.
Natalie Portman is brilliant as the deluded Alice in her love for Dan. Alice is like a woman-child, who's beguiling in her womanly ways but also childlike in her honesty of her love for Dan. Julia Roberts plays the fickle and weak-willed Anna convincingly, but Portman steals the show in her sensitive portrayal of the vulnerable Alice.
Jude Law is pretty good as Dan who's a wimp of a character. But as the vengeful alpha male Larry who seeks to own Anna for his own selfish pride, Clive Owen puts in a stronger performance.
Director Mike Nichols does a brilliant job of bringing audiences back and forth on a narrative that jumps from present to past and back again. The non-linear structure made for a more interesting film.
The hauntingly beautiful song "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice also adds resonance to a film that's bizarrely and heartachingly lovely at the end.
Posted by DSD at March 1, 2005 8:38 AM