What a beautiful film. I regret missing it during its theatrical run. Visually, musically, thematically, and in terms of the actors’ performances, there is quite a bit to chew on here, and I find I’m still thinking about it the day after I watched the DVD.
No time for a review, but two brief points.
First, I was struck by how this film seemed, at first, to follow that old rule of portraying marital sex by not portraying it — the clothes stay on, the lights go out, etc. — whereas the adulterous sex is portrayed a little more explicitly: we get hints of nudity, the sounds of passion, etc. For earlier examples of this sort of thing, see, e.g., Ryan’s Daughter (1970), directed by David Lean. But then… as the bitter married couple begins to lose its bitterness… things get a little more interesting. And while the nudity isn’t anything to write home about, it is worth noting that the male nudity is a little more pronounced than the female nudity, and it is interesting to compare and contrast the two scenes in which men get out of bed after being with the Naomi Watts character.
Second, this is at least the third time, following Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) and Birth (2004), that I have found myself thinking, “Wow, this music is really good,” and then seen the name Alexandre Desplat come up on the screen. I don’t buy soundtrack albums anywhere near as much as I used to, but still, it’s a little odd that I haven’t got any of his stuff in my collection yet.
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