Director Mikael Håfström and Clive Owen, with the help of Addison Timlin and Melissa George, quickly created the narrative of a down on his luck, tired of his life and incredibly normal man (Owen’s Charles Schine). Within the first five minutes or so the audience knows he’s unhappy with his wife, they know he’s struggling at work and they know that his daughter, Addison Timlin’s Amy Schine, is incredibly sick and that it is tearing him apart. Each of these factors plays into creating this character and helping to make his story, and the others’ stories, flow very well for the remainder of the film. The two main characters, Charles and Jennifer Aniston’s Lucinda Harris were difficult to like and/or appreciate. However, even though the majority of the characters, like Charles and Lucinda are difficult to like, Håfström and writers Stuart Beattie and James Siegel found a way to make this film successful; the constant twists and turns, the inability to understand the characters in their entirety (always leaving the audience guessing about what they would do next) and the perpetual suspense led to this success. I believe that the acting was incredible, particularly that from Jennifer Aniston. Aniston’s Lucinda Harris was multidimensional and at no point did her acting spoil what would eventually come to light in the film. Aniston was smooth in her transition from seductress, to victim, to protagonist and I believe that while she was just one piece of the puzzle, she ultimately is what sold the story to the audience. I thought the story was unique and, in some ways a bit outlandish to the average person, but, I thought that due to the simplification of some of the characters, audiences would have been able to appreciate the story. I think that this film is underrated, as I don’t know if I’ve ever heard anyone mention it before. There are a number of major issues mentioned in this film: abortion, rape and adultery, that could potentially upset viewers. While these things can be upsetting and can often turn people off to a film, they are essential to the plot. I highly recommend this film for the story, the acting and the director’s ability to draw you in and not let go. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398017/?ref_=nv_sr_1
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