The Flipcritic

Though CLOSER is somehow marketed as a romantic quadrangle, love is the furthest thing from its mind. It is really about how people use honesty for dishonest purposes. Its characters are some of the most revoltingly emotionally sadistic people I’ve ever seen on screen, inflicting pain in the subtlest of ways. These people don’t love each other; they’re in love with the idea of being in love.

The movie begins with a chance encounter between Alice (Natalie Portman), a stripper fresh from New York, and Dan (Jude Law), a writer. They meet each other in England literally by accident, with Dan overseeing her recovery in a hospice. They strike an easygoing attraction, with Dan seemingly innocuous, and Alice tart. But their natures become clear as their conversations start jabbing at each other’s constitution, seeing what the other is made of as he tours her through the streets of London.

Time passes by, and we see Anna (Julia Roberts), a photographer, profiling Dan for her upcoming exhibit. He flirts with her, and she puts up with him; a sign of her interest. But is he still with Alice? Oh yes he is. But regardless of Alice’s close proximity, he challenges the odds of being discovered. Does he get caught? All I will say is that his actions result in an unlikely and distressing portrait.

Dan’s disloyal courtship of Anna involves pranks. And one of his most wily ones, involving the most pointed depiction of cybersex I have seen, results in Anna’s meeting Larry (Clive Owen), a doctor. Their meeting appears more fortuitous than that of Alice and Dan’s, as Larry’s sweetness emerges, as does Anna’s appreciation for it. They become a couple, and eventually get married, but something seems amiss with Anna, despite Larry’s demonstrative affection. Does she long for Dan?

The film has a peculiar, almost aloof feel, which is settled into as the film goes along. It’s based on Patrick Marber’s award winning play of the same name, and is described by the director Mike Nichols as a film that focuses on the beginning and ending of relationships. It’s an aspect that one can easily miss, as we are denied middle portions of each coupling. The film also retains some of the play’s quality, as it focuses solely on its four characters. Looking back at it, I don’t think any other person has a speaking role.

I leave you to discover who sleeps with whom, when they sleep with whom, and why. But to pay close attention to the nuances of each relationship is to discover the underbelly of fondness. Each character starts out likeable, and ends up intensely distasteful. They are all very intelligent, but clueless in what it takes to be true to themselves. Rarely has a film shown how people use shallow truths to hurt those they hold dear.

Take Dan for example, in the closing moments of his relationship with Alice. As he tries to break up with her, he tells her that he wants to be honest, but honest about what? His betrayals? The details of when and where he cheated with whom? And how long his affairs have been going on? When Alice asks for more information, he gives too much, with the clear intention of pushing her away as far as possible. When she wishes to remain, he doesn't adjust his sensitivities. He treats his infidelity as a normal occurrence to be scheduled around, despite her pleas.

The film also reverses this type of hurtful sincerity in the case of Larry and Anna’s impending breakup. When Larry discovers Anna’s infidelity, he asks her for the details. Not so much for masochistic reasons, but for the intent of harming the revealer. He lines up query after prying query, taking her apart in one of the most lurid sequences of profane questioning ever put on celluloid, for his final bludgeoning insult. Is his tirade understandable? Yes. Does Anna deserve it? Surely. But is it warranted? Probably not. And is it the best way to deal with it? Hardly.

Female counterparts are not excused from its subject matter. Every conflicted relationship takes two to tango. Anna and Alice are both fond of romantic newcomers, but in different ways. Anna’s weakness for mystery men clouds her better judgment. She seems sweet and smart, but emotionally, she longs for shallow infatuation. She probably believes in love at first sight, but once the mystery fades away, she becomes blind. Alice on the other hand seems like a nice girl, wandering unfortunately through life searching for someone to set her straight. But near the end, we realize what new affection really means to her. And it is the film’s most stunning realization.

All four of the picture’s leads give strong performances. Jude Law’s character comes close to his portrayal of Alfie, only without compassion. Dan’s manipulative spirit is the most obvious drawback of the film’s characters. Mr. Law initially makes him the film’s most coldhearted heartbreaker, only in the end to become the weakest. Julia Roberts has the trickiest task of the four: to make Anna as likeable as every well-known character she has played, but make us realize her deficiencies as subtly as possible. Her performance here is a skillful exercise of nuance, and proves her to be a high caliber actress.

The two most extraordinary performances of the film belong to Clive Owen and Natalie Portman, who were deservedly nominated for Academy awards. This is Mr. Owen’s coming out party as an astute actor. With his powerhouse presence, Anna has no trouble falling in love, or shirking away from him. His character’s method of revenge on Dan is malevolent. Natalie Portman breaks out of her goody-two-shoes status (let's see Kamiseta publish her stripclub photos) with a twofold performance of lost innocence and cunning. She has worked with Mr. Law before in COLD MOUNTAIN, and their chemistry shows. Like Mr. Law, she reverses her character’s disposition, from one of vulnerability, to diabolicalness.

The great Mike Nichols (WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, THE GRADUATE, SILKWOOD, etc.) has helmed one of the most intelligent portrayals of modern day love affairs. Though at times it feels calculated, it effectively shows people of flawed natures (all of their professions involve emotional detachment) colliding through romance. After the emotional debris has been sifted through, first impressions are quickly reversed, and the pleasant become foul. How sad it is that such crafty characters, who know how to manipulate each other, do not know how to reach happiness. These people truly deserve each other.

Posted by FLIPCRITIC at April 6, 2005 03:04 AM