A Brutal and Beautiful Film

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2004)

"Closer" is great movie in the same sort of way that "Requiem For a Dream" is a great movie. You don't necessarily like it, and you don't approve of the lifestyles of its characters, but it is still a superior piece of work. I personally do not think that being in agreement with a film's characters is a requisite to understanding a film. However, the characters of "Closer" are distinctly human and therefore we understand the basic concepts of lust, greed, etc. that they feel. Although they are hurtful and often terrible people, they are still human beings and we can feel that humanity and understand it. "You women don't understand the territory, because you are the territory" is a statement that basically sums up the mentality of the leading men in the film. Both Dan (Jude Law) and Larry (Clive Owen) are men that are fueled by their sexuality and guided by their attempts to romance women into having sex with them. The two women affected by this brutal game are Alice, played by Natalie Portman, and Anna, played by Julia Roberts. Both of these women fall into their separate traps, but do not think for a minute that they are innocent. The women of "Closer" play just as hard as the men do by lying and cheating their way into the hearts of the men. The performances by all of the actors are excellent and so is the direction by Mike Nichols who also directed "The Graduate".