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(More customer reviews)Atom Egoyan's new film Chloe tells a story that's been told many times before, the tale of the woman scorned. But the new perspective that Egoyan brings to the erotic thriller genre, that makes it more original and provocative than any film I've seen this year.
Julianne Moore's portrayal of the heroine, Catherine Stewart, is near perfect. Moore has really been at the top of her game lately. In A Single Man, she played a character that she also brought great depth to, despite having only about fifteen minutes of air-time. In Chloe, she plays an upper middle-class gynecologist, who has been married to David (Liam Neeson) for many years. She suspects that he's having an affair, after noticing his flirtacious banter with a waitress, and after missing a flight, and his surprise birthday party. And just like that, her long simmering suspicions rise to the surface.
Finding no answer other than infidelity, she hires an escort, played by Amanda Seyfried, in the title role, to seduce her husband, to see his reaction. She finds herself "directing" she and her husband's encounters, giving Chloe notes on how to react to certain things that her husband says and does. Ergo, the fireworks start, and needless to say, lies are told and people get hurt.
This is Julianne Moore's best work in years. She has a knack for giving emotionally devastating performances, and she's in top form here. Her ability to say so much with saying so little, never ceases to amaze me. But the true star here is Amanda Seyfried, who gives the performance of her career. Her repertoire includes mostly comedies, like Mean Girls and Mamma Mia, but the amount of dramatic depth that she brings to the table is unbelievable. Playing a complicated character, you never know what her next move is, and it's interesting to see where it goes, ultimately until the earth-shattering conclusion. Seyfried's large, expressive eyes, tell you what her character is going through, and it's another case, where so much is said, when so little is actually spoken. The supporting cast, of course, includes Liam Neeson, who is always excellent, as Catherine's philandering husband, and he essentially does his job. There's not a whole lot of room in this picture, for his character to evolve. More attention is paid to the female leads.
What separates this from the countless stories of mistrust and infidelity, is the eerie and surprisingly profound tone that Egoyan brings to the table. It's a very mature, classy, smart film that deals with trust, loyalty, and love, and how, after so long, love can vanish, and an emotion can take over that you never would have expected to feel. And plus the settings are gorgeous. Jim Lambie, the set decorator of films like Heaven on Earth, and Egoyan's Adoration, brings a modern sense of traditionalism to the look of the film, especially the main setting of the Stewart household. And, also, the score, masterfully composed by Mychael Danna, brings out so much emotion, and tension to the table. Shattering orchestra crescendos, in pivotal scenes, bring more feeling, and intensity to the overall tone of the picture.
But, in the end, it's Egoyan's patient and thoughtful pacing, and an excellent performance by Amanda Seyfried that really stand out. It's a very mature, intricate experience that takes its time with developing each character, and brings a stunning conclusion that sets it apart from other stories of its kind. Its portrayal of lust and erotic desire, and the vulnerability of love, itself, will leave you breathless. Egoyan's use of an elegant, gliding camera, traps his characters against windows and mirrors, to signify how trapped a person can feel in their own life. And Egoyan's ability to never tell a story on one level, and his knack for adding layer, after layer to each character, makes the effect that the film has all the more effective.
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A missed flight...a lack of intimacy...guarded secrets... To Catherine (Julianne Moore), every detail suggests that her husband David (Liam Neeson) has been unfaithful. But there's only one way to know for sure. Catherine pays the mysterious Chloe (Amanda Seyfriend), an escort, to seduce her husband. She wants to know exactly how far she can trust him. But soon Catherine finds herself pushed beyond all limits as passions burn and obsessions build. From Academy Award®-nominated director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter, 1997)."Intriguing, darkly erotic." -Tom Keogh, Seattle Times"A supercharged erotic thriller!" -Caryn James, Marie Claire"…a sexually charged drama…" -Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun"good, dirty fun." -Ain't It Cool News"devilishly sexy." -Paul Fischer, Dark Horizons
