Archives

Reviewed by Murali Jayadeva

Suburban housewife Connie Sumner running errands in New York city on a wind swept day slips and falls on the street landing on Paul Martel a French book dealer. Paul invites her to his apartment to clean herself up and makes a pass at her.

She leaves, but soon comes back to the city hoping to see him and they begin an affair. Connie is soon torn between her family and her newly awakened passion. Suspecting something, Edward Connies husband hires a private detective. One day Connie dropping by Paul's unexpectedly sees him arm in arm with another woman. Though she tries to end the relationship, he persuades her to have sex with him again. She had left by the time when Edward came into confront Paul.

After a heated discussion Edward loses control and accidentally kills him. In panic Edward cleans up the apartment and disposes of the body at a local dump. Police questions Connie having found her phone number at Paul's apartment. With both their secrets in the open Connie and Edward begin to cover for each other Racked by guilt Edward plans to turn himself in. Connie suggests they try to change their identities and live in Mexico.

Outside the Police station they embrace which brings the film to an end. This film traces a married woman's adulterous affair and the heavy toll it takes on her and her family. Directed by Adrian Lyne, the film is a simple character study of strains of infidelity as a husband and wife.

With dazzling economy Lyne suggests that something is not quite right between Edward and his wife Connie and that stormy times lie ahead. However some questions remain unanswered. What was Connie's background? Was she a career woman before marriage? Was there fulfilment in her sexual relationship with Edward? On the contrary, she is shown most of the time running between the suburb and the city with new lingerie and smart footwear.

Edward on the other hand is shown as a loving father and caring husband who is not inclined to doubt his wife. Nevertheless, UNFAITHFUL is a better film, embellished by terrific performances by Diane Lane - supposed to be more honestly beautiful than any other actress in Hollywood today and Richard Gere, one of the most competent players in American Cinema.

Diane Lane gives a vivid sense of conflict to Connie's inner life. The simple shots of her travelling back home after her first infidelity, show her gliding through a mix of emotions. Richard Gere's performance is given an extra layer of quiet unease. The scene where he comes to Paul's apartment to confront him (arriving just moments after Connie has left) is perhaps the best moment in the film - awkward, funny, full of strange tensions.Though the film loses its tone and mood at this point, the way Paul's murder reignites Edward's and Connie's feelings for one another is handled with remarkable restraint.

The ending could be meant to mirror one of the film's more daunting moral questions, which is how to move on from a traumatic episode - Connie committing adultery and Edward committing murder. This really leaves the audience with a sense of discomfort and dissatisfaction, but may sound like a good idea because it brings to an abrupt end what had been unfolding as an engaging portrait of an indiscretion of a woman and violent reaction of a man.

This film is now on at Savoy.

www.crescat.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager