Closer is a 2004 romance movie based on a 1997 play. The film addresses a range of issues that are typical in relationships. It brings to light how relationships are not always as they appear and can sometimes have strange dynamics.
The film features an international ensemble cast, all of whom bring their magic and charm to the feature. Even the parts of the story that may seem awkward. Closer would go on to be nominated for many awards and even bag a few of the more prestigious awards. This success is hinged on the story and the acting, both of which are of a great standard.
The Movie’s Plot Revolves Around Two Couples
In the movie, Dan Woolf (Jude Law) is an English writer living in London who meets a young American woman, Alice Ayres (Natalie Portman) who had been hit by a car. The two started dating shortly after and a year later Dan writes a book based on her. While getting photographed for the book, he starts to hit on the photographer, Anna (Julia Roberts), an American. Alice who had come to meet him overhears Dan persuading Anna to sleep with him.
Dan goes on to catfish a man called Larry (Clive Owen), with Anna’s identity. This leads to Larry and Anna actually meeting and they start a relationship and eventually get married. While they are both in relationships, Anna and Dan begin a sexual relationship, cheating on their partners. When Larry and Alice find out this devastates them and forces them to exhibit extreme behaviours.
Alice goes back to stripping and one day runs into Larry, whom she had met while they were with their respective partners. They have a brief argument where Larry demands to know her real name and she tells him it is Jane Jones. Some time passes and Dan wants to get back with Alice but on the night before they both leave for America, Alice reveals that she no longer loves him. This leads to an argument that ends with Dan hitting Alice. The end of the film reveals that Jane Jones is really her name and Alice Ayers is the name of a woman who had died saving three children from a fire.
Analysis Of The Characters In Closer
Alice who is played by Portman in the movie is the youngest of the lead actors in Closer, and this translates into the way she plays her character. She is seemingly much more naïve than the rest of the characters, she maintains this naivety until the end of the film when she makes a drastic decision to leave Dan.
Jude Law’s Dan might be slightly older but he still displays childish tendencies. As seen with his prank and his pursuit of Anna only for the sake of chasing a thrill. When placed in contrast with Owen’s Larry, he comes up slightly short. Larry is not the best man, as recounted by Julia Robert’s Anna, who is deeply dissatisfied with their relationship. This is what drives her to finally begin a relationship with Dan.
Closer Addresses Infidelity
The biggest plot point for the movie Closer is infidelity. It drives the story and dictates the behaviours of the characters. This subject and the deceit that it thrives on are very present in the film. Deceit, in particular, exists between Alice and Dan’s relationship. Alice may have been the one person in the film who seemed to thrive on truth. But by the end of the film, we discover that she is equally capable of the same deceitful behaviour.
The changing nature and intersections of relationships are also addressed in the film. As we see with the four couples. They had individually crossed paths with one another at different times over the course of their lives. These meetings inadvertently changed them and their relationships.
Closer Was A Very Successful Movie
Closer was not just a successful movie commercially, it was also a success critically. The actors were nominated for Golden Globes, Academy Awards and BAFTAs. Clive Owen won the BAFTA and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor while Natalie Portman won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. The success of the film largely rests on the works of the actors. They were able to accurately portray the situations their characters were in, evoking the expected emotions for people in their situations. This is especially true for Owen and Portman who had to play the painful roles of people who had been cheated on.
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