Volume 11, Number 22
15 March 2005





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"BEHIND THE SCENES"

Atii.jpg (5753 bytes)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):

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Atilla Karakurum (IE/IV)

atilla_karakurum@yahoo.com

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