- Film Review
- Reviewed By Susannah Straughan
-
4 out of 5
Writer Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams, Babel) makes an impressive directorial debut with this brooding drama about the corrosive effects of guilt. In windswept Portland, Oregon, emotionally distant restaurateur Sylvia (Charlize Theron) is confronted by a stranger who brings news from her past. Her story is intercut with flashbacks to a New Mexico border town, revealing how teenager Mariana (Jennifer Lawrence) reacts to the affair between her mother Gina (Kim Basinger) and Nick (Joaquim de Almeida) and its tragic aftermath. Arriaga's enthusiasm for complex, non-linear narratives can sometimes make for frustrating viewing, but here the gradual unravelling of the three women's stories proves intriguing as it builds towards a devastating climax. Robert Elswit's outstanding cinematography undercuts the mood of unease and highlights the nuanced performances of the film's three female leads, with Lawrence's resentment and recklessness matched by Basinger's almost painful vulnerability as the adulterous wife and Theron's anguish at her inability to escape the past.
Plot Summary
A housewife has an affair, which is greeted with disapproval by her daughter, who goes to desperate lengths to end the relationship. Elsewhere, a troubled woman embarks on an emotional journey as she tries to bury her past and reconcile with her parents. Drama, starring Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger and Jennifer Lawrence.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Sylvia
- Charlize Theron
- Gina
- Kim Basinger
- Mariana
- Jennifer Lawrence (2)
- John
- John Corbett
- Nick Martinez
- Joaquim de Almeida
- Santiago Martinez
- Danny Pino
- Carlos
- José María Yazpik
- Laura
- Robin Tunney
- Lawrence
- Gray Eubank
- Robert
- Brett Cullen
- Young Santiago
- J D Pardo
Crew
- Director
- Guillermo Arriaga
- Share this episode
-