Fantastic, brutally honest film

Rating: 8/10 (9 April 2005)

For anyone who has been through the experience of betrayal in a relationship as either the perpetrator or the victim (or both, for many of us :) ), the dialog in this film will feel so real that you'll swear they had your place bugged when writing the script. Of course, not all of us look quite as beautiful as this cast, but the long for love and the reality of human frailty is as true for regular folk as it is for the Julia Roberts of the world.
The plot revolves around four people and their relationships with one another. The story unfolds in a relatively small number of scenes that jump thru time, often giving just enough clues at the beginning of each scene to fill in the gaps concerning events that took place since the last scene. In this way the movie allows the viewer to skip the day to day routine of their lives and focus instead on the intense emotional moments.
Although the characters are very human they are not very nice, which is what made it disturbing for me to recognize elements of them in myself. Still, the performances are all spot on and so intense that I actually found myself holding my breath at several points during the film. For Portman especially, this feels like a break out film that changes her image from girl to woman. Clive Owen also turns in an amazing performance that never quite lets you sympathize with or completely hate his character.
Finally, be warned that the subject matter and language of the film are very adult and that the film is essentially all talk talk talk. If you are sensitive to dark themes or an action movie buff you may want to pick another flick.