One of the best films this year

Rating: 8/10 (1 October 1999)

Just because there is a lot of sex in the film does not mean that the film is "about" sex (or pornography, or whatever). IMNSHO EWS is "about" communication (or lack of it) in relationships, about the 7 year itch, about the impossible balance between saying too much and saying too little to your partner. Sex and sexual fantasies happen to be some of the most problematic areas to talk about (for some people, anyway). I remember reading an article about "honesty in relationships" where a panel of psychologists were given hypothetical "should I tell my partner that .." questions. The only all-negative recommendation was to the situation "when we make love, I fantasize about (person)" or similar. This, to me, is what EWS is about. It shows a couple going from slight discomfort, the "something is wrong but I can't really put my finger on it" feeling brilliantly portrayed at the party and just afterwards, through escalating crisis (though unrealistic and with occasional dreamlike qualities) and eventually to some sort of redemption. Some of these aspects (the important ones, for me anyway) must surely be familiar to anyone who has ever tried to make a long term relationship work, at least.
The downside is that this makes EWS a very uncomfortable film to watch with your long term partner. After the film you have the choice between discussing the weather, discussing the subject matter while maintaining a cowardly personal distance to it, or to just ask for trouble.