Closer

It's only been half an hour since I saw this, but I'm going to place it in my top three films of the year (so far). Right up there with Eternal Sunshine and I Heart Huckabees. Yeah, it could be knocked off the pedestal, but it would take a lot. It's always a relief to see stuff like this. After so many mediocre films, you forget that not all the good ideas are used up. And that's not to say that the theme of the film is unique, just that its design is. This one is about unfaithfulness and deceit. That's the non-unique part. But I won't describe much more because you should walk in knowing as little as possible about it. Regarding the plot, I'll just say that your instincts on what kind of characters are being played by Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Clive Owen and Natalie Portman will be thoroughly changed by the end. The dialogue is spare, yet every line counts and every pause counts. It's a film that will make you very uncomfortable and for a reason. It's a film that is very much about sex but is not at all titillating. It's a film that should feel unreal, but doesn't. And lastly, it's a film that you should not, under any circumstance, take a first date or new lover to. Unless of course you never want to see them again. Go with trusted friends, a spouse of many years, your parents if they're ultra-hip. It'll be worth it.

year: 2004
length: 104 min.
rating: 4.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376541/combined