And so it is...

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2004)

Those four words that begins the title song of Closer ("And so it is") just about sum up the movie. Characters are finicky, agitating, agitated and each so flawed in his or her own way, and most conflicts end with abrupt, cut-and-dry decisions that still leaves everyone, including the decision maker, in curious confusion. As the players fall in and out of love (whatever "love" means, they themselves don't seem to know), we are able to sympathize and criticize at the same time. And it is all together acted out brilliantly, with what is by far the best ensemble performance of the year. Natalie Portman's Alice is the character of most intrigue, going from a full range of being lovable and detestable. The movie feels more like a play (as it was adapted from a stage production), and that has its definite merits. Closer doesn't pretend to provide the most realistic portrayal of love and betrayal, but rather a case-study of certain defined characters in their pain drudgery through sexual avarice.