A very fine movie

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2009)

The trailers for this looked intriguing, and while I know they can be deceptive, I went anyway, having been very impressed by Kate Winslett's performances in other movies (Hamlet, The Reader, Sense and Sensibility).
Still, I was not prepared for as good a movie as this turned out to be.
Winslett and Di Caprio give first-rate performances, particularly Winslett. Yes, there is some shouting, but that's not acting, it's shouting. Anyone can do that. Both these actors say far more with their faces, their expressions, than they do with their shouting. They telegraph pages of script into glances, as the best actors do. Winslett at the end is absolutely devastating to watch as she prepares for what she clearly sees as a fatal act.
The directing is very fine as well. The scene of the abortion is perfectly and most movingly filmed, moving at just the right speed, cloaked in just the right hushed almost silence, with discretion and respect. It would have been so early to over-dramatize it, but Mendes does not, making it all that much more devastating.
There are points where one might want more elucidation. Why does di Caprio's character oppose the abortion? What is he thinking, married to the very beautiful Winslett, when he seduces the less attractive office clerk? There are other questions for which I might have liked at least suggestions of answers.
Still, I don't need every i to be dotted and every t to be crossed to enjoy a movie, as I most certainly did this one. It is a very moving story about a woman trapped in a life that does not satisfy her, surrounded by others who cannot understand her feelings and seem to be very satisfied with what she has. In that respect, it recalls the middle story of The Hours, though I found this more subtle and very much more moving.
The Academy may have overlooked it for best picture, but you should not.