Closer than comfortable

Rating: 10/10 (22 January 2005)

Dialogue stripped to the bare minimum, characters struggling with truth and lies, and exploration of the inner workings of the psyche. This kind of stuff I usually leave alone, but considering the cast and director involved, I thought I'd better check it out.
I am very glad that I followed my instinct, as I find myself profoundly affected by this film. It is not a comfortable ride, but one that I found mesmeric, challenging and thought-provoking.
All the leads are convincing, with Clive Owen giving a blindingly good portrayal of an everyday psychopath (or is he just much more upfront than most of us?) Natalie Portman is also excellent, bringing the kind of spark that made Leon - The Professional such a success, except that now she's sexually mature, which makes life more interesting... On first viewing, Jude Law and Julia Roberts didn't have quite as impact as Owen and Portman, but their roles are the more introverted ones, and I look forward to assessing the depths of their portrayals in further viewings.
What really glues Closer together, though, is the editing. Like the dialogue, it is bare bones stuff, with four years of four characters lives condensed into an hour and a half. With dots of detail Nichols conjures up a vivid portrait of the relationships between the characters. But it is the twists and turns that make up the beginnings and ends of relationships that are really the subject of this movie.
Be warned: this is not light material. But rarely do you find such a taut and compelling drama containing no weapons but words, and no action but the tearing asunder of hearts and dreams.