Unfaithful (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Diane Lane gives her best performance as a passion-deprived suburban wife in 'Unfaithful', an erotic thriller directed by Adrian Lyne. Her character, Connie, seems to have it all. She's smart. She's very attractive. She has an awesome kid. She lives in a sprawling Westchester County dream house. She's married to the intelligent, good-looking, upstanding Charlie (Richard Gere). She 'seems' happy, fulfilled, & in love. And then ... one windy day, she visits NYC, collides into a handsome and mysterious stranger named Paul (Olivier Martinez), & finds her mind drifting back to him throughout the next few days.
One of my favorite scenes comes early when Connie goes back into NYC a few days later & grapples with the idea of calling Paul. She pushes a quarter into a pay phone slot, pauses, & then quickly pulls the return lever. When the quarter tumbles back, she breathes a huge sigh of relief. It's as though she knew she almost threw away everything, and yet, it was all returned to her intact - in the form of 25 cents. She holds onto that quarter like it was her life itself. Of course, that pause doesn't last long. She puts it back in & dials. But why did she do it? Her husband seems loving. He's not abusive. He's a good provider. He's a devoted father. But she starts a wild affair with Paul anyway and, her selfish actions may catch up with her down the road.
There's another incredible scene that suggests Connie's feelings/motivations are as much a mystery to her as they are to us as we watch. Riding the train home after her first adulterous encounter, her face registers a sequence of emotions, from guilty pleasure to self-loathing with a host of others in between. We basically see her face, intercut with a series of quick edits of him turning her on, back to her face, foreplay, back to her face, them in the throes of passion, back to her face, intense sex, back to her face, etc. She wants Paul on a carnal level. But she loves her husband. So her body & her conscience are at war with themselves.
Back at home, her lies begin. All it takes is for a few of them to backfire & Charlie starts to suspect that something's up. His confusion & pain increases as the evidence piles up. At a certain point, Charlie knows for sure what's going on but doesn't tell her that he knows. She has no clue that he knows & continues to play the dutiful wife; a huge betrayal, in his eyes. Something's got to give, and unfortunately for Charlie ... he snaps. Tragedy strikes. And where Charlie & Connie were once united by marriage, they ultimately find themselves bound together by a sticky web of lies, deceit, & guilt. Sex definitely has its consequences.
'Unfaithful' is unique because it actually makes you feel sympathy for the 3 main characters; even when you know they're in the wrong. The film also shows how a haphazard fantasy can turn into a messy obsession. The outcome of the big climactic scene btwn. Charlie & Paul is jarring & unsettling; almost too much so. And the film goes on a little too long. But for a mainstream suspenseful melodrama, you can see FAR worse. Gere is good here; playing against type (he's usually the suave, cheeky romantic lead). And Lane is fantastic; giving us one of those rare performances where her physical acting & below-the-surface emotional fireworks say more than any dialogue possibly could. I also commend the bravely ambiguous ending. I think I know what happens. But it's interesting to not know for sure.
One of my favorite scenes comes early when Connie goes back into NYC a few days later & grapples with the idea of calling Paul. She pushes a quarter into a pay phone slot, pauses, & then quickly pulls the return lever. When the quarter tumbles back, she breathes a huge sigh of relief. It's as though she knew she almost threw away everything, and yet, it was all returned to her intact - in the form of 25 cents. She holds onto that quarter like it was her life itself. Of course, that pause doesn't last long. She puts it back in & dials. But why did she do it? Her husband seems loving. He's not abusive. He's a good provider. He's a devoted father. But she starts a wild affair with Paul anyway and, her selfish actions may catch up with her down the road.
There's another incredible scene that suggests Connie's feelings/motivations are as much a mystery to her as they are to us as we watch. Riding the train home after her first adulterous encounter, her face registers a sequence of emotions, from guilty pleasure to self-loathing with a host of others in between. We basically see her face, intercut with a series of quick edits of him turning her on, back to her face, foreplay, back to her face, them in the throes of passion, back to her face, intense sex, back to her face, etc. She wants Paul on a carnal level. But she loves her husband. So her body & her conscience are at war with themselves.
Back at home, her lies begin. All it takes is for a few of them to backfire & Charlie starts to suspect that something's up. His confusion & pain increases as the evidence piles up. At a certain point, Charlie knows for sure what's going on but doesn't tell her that he knows. She has no clue that he knows & continues to play the dutiful wife; a huge betrayal, in his eyes. Something's got to give, and unfortunately for Charlie ... he snaps. Tragedy strikes. And where Charlie & Connie were once united by marriage, they ultimately find themselves bound together by a sticky web of lies, deceit, & guilt. Sex definitely has its consequences.
'Unfaithful' is unique because it actually makes you feel sympathy for the 3 main characters; even when you know they're in the wrong. The film also shows how a haphazard fantasy can turn into a messy obsession. The outcome of the big climactic scene btwn. Charlie & Paul is jarring & unsettling; almost too much so. And the film goes on a little too long. But for a mainstream suspenseful melodrama, you can see FAR worse. Gere is good here; playing against type (he's usually the suave, cheeky romantic lead). And Lane is fantastic; giving us one of those rare performances where her physical acting & below-the-surface emotional fireworks say more than any dialogue possibly could. I also commend the bravely ambiguous ending. I think I know what happens. But it's interesting to not know for sure.