Such a sad, powerful movie this is. If one were to guess what this movie is about just by looking at that poster, you'd probably think it's some psychological love story ala Eyes Wide Shut. Luckily, we do not get some half-baked rip-off. What we have here is a brilliantly written, original idea about grieving-over-death and how it effects us. I've heard a lot of critics mention that the reality of this movie almost makes it unbearable to watch, but I found it to be quite the opposite. The pain that these characters went through and the struggles they attempt to overcome are really what kept me tied to this movie.
What is this movie about? We are introduced to a married couple at the beginning of the movie that just seem a tad bit out of sync. They're anti-social and don't really have that loving bond that most married couples do. They have good reason to act this way though: their 4 year old son just died. This is a movie about getting over one's grief, and drowning in it. It's about pretending your world doesn't exist and coping with the reality that surrounds you. It's about living in the past, and fighting to create a better future. The parallels are subtle, but always seem to slap you in the face at just the right time. This is a film of beauty in it's most melancholic sense.
Who's in it? The two leads are Aaron Eckhart (Two-Face in The Dark Knight, and also in Thank You For Smoking) and Nicole Kidman (I don't even need to name another movie, everyone knows who she is). Sandra Oh rounds out the familiar cast members as a supporting actress. If you don't know who she is, look her up. Besides "Sideways" I don't think I like anything she's a part of (Andddd I actually just mentioned something she was in... there goes that). The two leads put on amazing performances that I think are both worth Oscar nominations at least. With Nicole Kidman having what I think is the best performance of her career.
Who would I recommend this movie to? This movie is definitely not for everyone. With it's despondent tone, I would only recommend this movie to the mature film buffs. Of course, that's not to say that this movie is entirely pessimistic: there are a couple of humorous moments. One of them being one of the best laughs I've had in 2010 movie-wise (I'll keep it spoiler free). I also would like to mention that if anyone watching this movie who has recently had a death of a loved one should probably proceed with caution. Being someone who has had someone near me die before I found this movie to be motivational in retrospect - it tells you exactly how it is. But I guess we all have our own poison.
