jading the unjaded

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2004)

Closer is a pseudo artistic film with a superb cast that accomplished little more then jading an otherwise un-jaded idealistic person. The film was pessimistic is its view of the love struck individual and depicted a world of brute honesty clashing with deceiving dishonesty. The characters of Dan, Alice/Jane, Anna, and Larry illustrate the harsh realities of the falsification of identity and shame. The film included concepts and scenes with blatant symbolism that would make post modernists cringe. Anna's photography exhibition entitled Strangers was after school special-esquire cliché attempting to foreshadow the distance between Alice and her lover Dan, as well as the basic love principles for the film. Furthermore, the concept of using the black and white head shot imagery to symbolize the non linear path of love was beyond banality. The idea of Alice's real name being Jane is nothing more then falsely symbolic in reality, deceiving someone of a name is not exactly big deal...remember Shakespeare? The finale of the film, in which Alice has "become" Jane is nothing more then tying up the loose ends of her English experience. Alice told Larry early in the film that novel written about her is a lie and thus she is a walking lie which is portrayed by her name. The name change is also symbolic for it is so plain and boring, that it shows Alice/Jane is really no one special, reaffirming what she told Anna earlier in the film when she had her photo taken. The film attempted to be something it is not: complicated. It's nonlinear plot portrayed the overdone concept of love and lack of romance. It was agonizing for me to watch and left myself with a depressed feeling of resentment towards the pain of love. Lastly, any film with Julia Roberts in it lacks credibility, though I guess the remainder of the cast makes up for everything she lacks.