Hello Stranger.
Fate allowed us to meet, first as strangers. Then we become
friends. We share a relationship, boyfriend/girlfriend,
husband/wife. You tell me you love me. I tell you I love you too.
But, do we really mean it? How sure are we about it? Will we stray
from each other? Will we lie to each other? Or will we be honest
about everything, and I mean, everything?
Mike Nichols opens The Graduate with Simon and Garfunkel's Sounds
of Silence. Here, Closer opens with Damien Rice's The Blower's
Daughter, whose lyrics contain the lines
"I can't take my mind off of you,
can't take my mind...
my mind...
'Til I find somebody new"
which forms the basis of the movie. "If you believe in love at
first sight, you never stop looking." says the movie's tagline, and
while watching, I was thinking about the loads of questions the
movie subtly throws at the audience, about modern relationships, as
seen through the eyes of and experienced by its 4 main characters,
whose lives and relations become intertwined.
Fate allows the accidental (pardon the pun) meeting of strangers
Jude Law and Natalie Portman, one a struggling writer, the latter a
stripper. They become fast friends, and soon, a relationship
develops.
But what happens when Law starts to also fall for photographer
Julia Roberts? You'll start to ask - does he really love Portman?
What's the deal with his feelings for Roberts? Love at first sight?
Lust perhaps? Does he even care about Portman's feelings, or is he
just selfish, wanting things his way? Is he tired of Portman? And
Roberts, at first rejecting Law's moves as she knows he's attached,
still finds herself drawn to Law's charms (ok, he's good looking),
and giving in. Portman appears in that same scene too, and she can
tell that something's not quite right. This was an intriguing 10
minute scene, and the conversations amongst the characters
tense.
Law and Clive Owen "meet" in an interesting way, perhaps one of the
more light hearted moments in the movie. Fate again intervenes -
Owen and Roberts meet, and a relationship which led to marriage
forms. Happy marriage? Think again - Roberts has an offscreen
affair with Law, and when confronted with it, Owens start to go
livid, and wants to know every detail (even where they slept) to
justify his betrayal and hurt. Law confronts Portman with the same,
and we see the heartwrenching acceptance that Portman emotes.
Again, questions are raised - do we sometimes become clingy, that
you suffocate a relationship? How do you reveal the truth to the
other party, while at the same time trying to cushion the blow? How
do you walk away from rejection with your dignity intact? Or could
you?
Owen and Portman met during Robert's photography exhibition, and
again when Owen has separated from Roberts. They meet in a strip
club, where Portman has taken up refuge in, entertaining men. This
is a poignant scene, where more questions are raised, though in my
opinion, it highlights Owen's lust on Portman.
What happens then, to the adulterous couple Roberts and Law? Are
they happy together? Will someone in such a relation be open to the
other party meeting up with an ex? If you're still in touch with an
ex, will you tell your current squeeze? Why? Why not? Honesty?
Will/Can your current squeeze accept the truth? What more if you
slept with your ex?
We go full circle at the ending, where you might think that all
questions are resolved, all questions answered. There's a twist at
the end which leaves you wondering, who's playing who, who's
trusting who, who's being honest with who. Is honesty always the
best policy? But isn't honesty and trust the basis of any
relationship?
I commend all four leads in the movie - Law, Portman, Roberts, Owen
- they were excellent in bringing forth the various emotions
required, and multi-faceted ones in fact. The characters are
multi-dimensional, which makes them all the more plausible in real
life. Nothing is cast in stone, everyone changes.
The movie touched me in a personal way, and I'd bet for those who
have / are involved in relationships, you'd feel the same way too -
you can probably identify yourself in some of the characters, and
how they dealt with themes of love, relationships, betrayal,
jealousy, honesty, maybe even sex. The movie has a stark social
commentary, which will leave you thinking and perhaps reflecting on
your personal relationships.
I'd recommend it to everyone. Go watch it, and start pondering.
