Elegant, surreal, and haunting look into the heart

Rating: Null/10 (20 July 1999)

This is a film that truly should not be missed; it has that rarely seen or felt power to capture the essence of the human heart laid bare. Kubrick analyzes an amazingly wide range of emotions throughout the film: fear, jealousy, love, anger, desire, and deceit. This is a film that asks perhaps more questions about human relationships than it actually answers, and it asks the audience to ask themselves the same questions. It is a film that deals with our greatest fears about love and commitment, and it delves into all of the unconscious thoughts, fantasies and desires we all have, but never, ever, dare to tell each other. The heart of the film lies in the consequences of finally revealing such thoughts. Cruise, Kidman, and Pollack all give excellent performances, and the real-life marriage between the two stars adds an incredibly heightened sense of urgency to their performances. This is a difficult film, and I believe that many people will find it's dark tone to be possibly too dark. It would be a true shame if this film languishes because of unfair hype or misleading tabloid expectations. See this movie twice, and then see it again, because it may be the only film this year that will stay with you, that will affect you both physically and emotionally.