(2004)
3
Josh Ralske
Like the acclaimed novel on which it's based, Roger Michell's Enduring Love opens strong as a perfect, eerily quiet idyll between Joe (Daniel Craig) and Claire (Samantha Morton) and is then disrupted by an accident that shatters the tranquility, not just of the day but of their lives. Michell does justice to Ian McEwan's brilliant prose in this opening scene, capturing with stark detail the freak nature of the event, its horror, and its odd beauty. More importantly, the scene, as staged by Michell, has the necessary psychological resonance. We understand fully why Joe can't stop obsessing over it and can comprehend how a less mentally stable individual like Jed (Rhys Ifans) may become unhinged by it. Unfortunately, but perhaps inevitably, what follows -- a well-acted, nicely staged, but essentially routine stalker story -- doesn't come close to living up to the promise of that opening. One problem is that Craig, a capable actor, projects an iciness that unnecessarily calls his feelings for Claire into question. This is exacerbated by the film's major miscue, changing Joe from the struggling freelance writer of McEwan's novel to a pompous professor who lectures inanely on the probability that love is simply nature's way of tricking humans into reproducing. These lecture scenes, including one that is unconvincingly invaded by the singing Jed, are the low points of the film. Michell builds suspense with wobbly hand-held camera work, creating a sense of unease by shooting Joe and Claire around walls and other barriers, giving a voyeur's perspective. Scenes of domestic breakdown are also effective in no small part thanks to Morton's typically subtle and empathic work. But with the given opening, the film raises expectations higher than that damn balloon, only to send them plummeting into banal predictability.
Enduring Love on AllMovie
Enduring Love (2004)
