Why do we relate to them?

Rating: Null/10 (14 February 2006)

The four principal characters are unsympathetic. They are selfish, promiscuous, even perverted, and yet we believe in them and sympathise with them. I believe that is the strength of 'Closer'. It gives us manipulative, callous characters and yet we relate to them because their flaws are human, their evils understandable. The most sympathetic character, Ms Portman's, actually turns out to be the most manipulative of them all. This film asks us to examine our dark halves, our own private perversions and selfishness. It asks us to examine the multiple natures of humanity. It's a manipulative film, definitely, but it's only reflecting the way we manipulate ourselves and those around us.