What could be more pathetic than a person who feels
that he/she is still in love after all the trust is gone, all the reconciliation has been
used up and all the bridges are burnt? This might make you think, "There is no such
person!" However, the movie "Closer" gives a satisfying answer to this
question.
"Closer" is a brand-new movie from Mike Nichols, the director of "Angels in
America" (a TV series), "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", "The
Graduate," etc. The movie is based on a stage play and is about four people who seem
to deserve one another. Jude Law plays Dan, who calls his work, writing obituaries, the
Siberia of journalism. The second member of the foursome, Alice, performed by Natalie
Portman, is a stripper from New York. Julia Roberts portrays the third character, a
photographer named Anna. Clive Owen, who by the way gives the film's strongest
performance, plays Larry, a dermatologist. An unexpected accident, a practical joke and an
exhibition bring these four people together. Eye contact results in playful flirtations,
and love at first sight seems to occur.
Throughout the film, the disloyalty and selfishness displayed by the characters kind of
bothers you. One might think that the movie is based on an extremely lousy script, to the
point that it can sometimes be insulting. However, I believe the movie reflects what real
life is. People are getting more selfish and devoted to pursuing self-satisfaction every
day. Along with this fact, the movie portrays four people who don't care much about
betrayal and the loss of trust. This idea is presented briefly in the dialogue between
Roberts and Law, where Law says: "You ruined my life," and Roberts replies:
"Don't worry, you'll get over it."
Surprisingly, in this movie, telling the truth causes more pain than not, contrary to what
we suppose. In fact, a sentence from the script is as follows: "What's so good about
telling the truth? Try lying for a change. It's a currency in the world." As a result
of giving in to their desires, the characters all suffer greatly as the story proceeds.
The dialogues are sharply written and include excessive sexual content, to the point where
you might actually feel that the movie is obscene. However, it seems to be accurate about
sex and love (for sure this is questionable). Not that I'm such a person, but I'm sure
you'll understand what I mean when you see the film. Here is one more example of the
dialogue between the characters:
-Deception is brutal.
- How could you do this to someone?
-I fell in love!
- Ohh! As if you had no choice?
Well, it's up to you to analyze this. But I can honestly state that this dialogue clearly
expresses one of the core ideas of the movie: "Love blinds one's eyes and hinders
one's ability to act in a logical manner." Along with this, in some scenes, the movie
defines "sex" as a need in a materialistic manner. That's all you'll get from me
about the content of the movie. Instead, let's have a glance at some other aspects.
One of the effective sides of the movie is the sudden leaps in time, where these leaps are
hidden in the dialogues. Words are used just like weapons in this movie. That's why I
believe the script is strong. In addition to this, the acting side of the movie is good
enough to keep you glued to your seat. In particular, Clive Owen is great in portraying
the nastiest character in the movie. There is this interesting detail presented in the
film, which is that after every deception, each character acts in an innocent manner,
hiding behind the concept of "love." Is it really worth it? Well, in my opinion,
for sure not! However, there is also the fact that love drags you in just like a
whirlpool.
Right? Well, it's your job to figure out the rest!
Have fun and stay cool!
Rating (4 out of 5):
Atilla Karakurum (IE/IV)
atilla_karakurum@yahoo.com
|