I happened upon this movie after browsing my favorite Netflix section: "Independent."
Without knowing anything about the film, I was immediately drawn in by the stellar casting of Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, all of whom are insanely talented and believable actors.
While some elements were predictable, it didn't matter because the execution on all levels was so captivating. A story is a story, but the telling of the story is what makes for the emotional connection.
For a slow-paced psychological mystery, this film does an outstanding job of delivering masterful scenes one after another.
********************************** SPOILER ALERT ********* SPOILERS ************
One of the hottest scenes in cinema is when Catherine has revenge-jealousy-anger- exploratory sex with Chloe. With so much tension wrapped in lead up to the scene, it is beyond satisfying to see it play out so solidly and solemnly. The big twist for me was that Chloe actually fell for Catherine. For someone who is detached from the people she has sex with, it was extraordinarily powerful when she let her guard down and fell for Catherine.
The weight of this scene and relationship was revisited in the end when Chloe forces Catherine to kiss under the threat of being killed. Even though it was super suspenseful (for fear Catherine would be murdered), it played as one hundred percent erotic, filled with all the emotions of the relationship between the two women.
Side note, the way Chloe managed to have sex with all three members of the family was completely brilliant and plausible. I loved the angst the film brought by letting the audience know how Chloe was sleeping with everyone behind each of their backs.
Then when I saw the credits roll, I was pleased to see that it was made by the director of one of my favorite films called Exotica. Atom Egoyan. An incredible director, he has a talent of bringing sex into real world relationship dysfunction.
My one gripe with this movie is that I wish, somehow, they would have all reconciled and that Chloe would end up healthy. I so badly wanted somebody to love her. The ending was a downer for me and I really wanted Chloe to end up feeling like she discovered a new place in the world.
Still, a strong film that I highly recommend for those who enjoy relationship dynamics.
Without knowing anything about the film, I was immediately drawn in by the stellar casting of Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, all of whom are insanely talented and believable actors.
While some elements were predictable, it didn't matter because the execution on all levels was so captivating. A story is a story, but the telling of the story is what makes for the emotional connection.
For a slow-paced psychological mystery, this film does an outstanding job of delivering masterful scenes one after another.
********************************** SPOILER ALERT ********* SPOILERS ************
One of the hottest scenes in cinema is when Catherine has revenge-jealousy-anger- exploratory sex with Chloe. With so much tension wrapped in lead up to the scene, it is beyond satisfying to see it play out so solidly and solemnly. The big twist for me was that Chloe actually fell for Catherine. For someone who is detached from the people she has sex with, it was extraordinarily powerful when she let her guard down and fell for Catherine.
The weight of this scene and relationship was revisited in the end when Chloe forces Catherine to kiss under the threat of being killed. Even though it was super suspenseful (for fear Catherine would be murdered), it played as one hundred percent erotic, filled with all the emotions of the relationship between the two women.
Side note, the way Chloe managed to have sex with all three members of the family was completely brilliant and plausible. I loved the angst the film brought by letting the audience know how Chloe was sleeping with everyone behind each of their backs.
Then when I saw the credits roll, I was pleased to see that it was made by the director of one of my favorite films called Exotica. Atom Egoyan. An incredible director, he has a talent of bringing sex into real world relationship dysfunction.
My one gripe with this movie is that I wish, somehow, they would have all reconciled and that Chloe would end up healthy. I so badly wanted somebody to love her. The ending was a downer for me and I really wanted Chloe to end up feeling like she discovered a new place in the world.
Still, a strong film that I highly recommend for those who enjoy relationship dynamics.