Closer, a film adapted from a Tony award and Olivier award-winning play by Patrick Marber, is a contemporary story of betrayal, consequence and letting go. Two couples find themselves interlinked by coincidence, and eventually entangle their romantic and sexual relationships, blurring the lines between the right and wrong of human conditions. Complications occur when the two couples cheat on each other. Each individual found a reason to betray on their lover, but later realise that they are will forever be dependent on love that is stable and long-lasting.

A star-studded cast has given this film familiarity and the expectations of a typical Hollywood feel. However, unlike many commercial films which hang on desperately to consistency and traditional storylines, Closer is much more unconventional in its portrayal of human behaviour, in the face of temptations, coincidences and the aftermath of our choices when it comes to romantic relationships. It is not merely a story of adultery and how couples can cheat on each other, but a brutally honest view of the downward spiral that so many of us experience when we develop unreciprocated affection for another person. Often, films are afraid to talk about it for fear of being anti-climax or too realistic, but perhaps this forces people to relate better to Closer.

The film begins with a strong establishment of what the characters are, and this has to be credited to the first-class performance of the actors and actresses; Alice (Natalie Portman) is an individualistic, strong-minded young woman who is clear of what she wants, while Dan (Jude Law) is simply an obituary journalist and a common London man. Anna (Julia Roberts) is a renowned photographer who seeks stability, and Larry (Clive Owen) is a plastic surgeon who is masculine and sexually dominating. A notable quality about this film is its dialogue. One striking line was what Alice said to Dan upon learning of his betrayal: “Oh, as if you had no choice? There’s a moment, there’s always a moment, “I can do this, I can give into this, or I can resist it”, and I don’t know when your moment was, but I bet there was one.”

Closer was a huge success, both in America and all over the developed world. It drew a lot of flake for its harsh dialogue and the overt portrayal of Dan and Larry’s online sex chat room conversation when Dan pretended to be Anna in the film, but the performance of the stars won them many nominations for prestigious awards such as the Oscars. Clive Owen, who played Larry, and Natalie Portman, who played Alice, both won a Golden Globe each for their supporting roles in Closer.

This film is truly something special. Its exploration in the causes and effects of adultery has stuck close to reality, which is something often missing in many American blockbuster films. It provokes you to ask yourself what you could have done in the face of your own life story, in the chapters of love and mistrust.

Closer share similarities with Oscar-winning pictures such as American Beauty and Crash, in that the issues and trials of our behaviour are explored with such honesty that it does not seem to fall under the stereotype of a major American film. One of the reasons why the typical Hollywood film can penetrate almost every developed country is that they give common people a chance to escape from the reality of life. Closer, however, was almost brutal in depicting the consequences of falling for temptation, and gave no leeway for its audience to dream that things might be better except to face up to the music. After watching this film, one might think, “yes, the perfect people do make mistakes, just like everybody else. So what kind of wrong will I do?”

The point of this film is not to showcase couples cheating on each other, but that at the end of the day, the only solution out of an entangled relationship is to find the courage to move on. Alice was the only one who knew how to face her emotions, and curtly called off her relationship with Dan, simply saying “I don’t love you anymore.” In reality, there is so much difficulty in just packing up and starting anew, especially when an important relationship has faltered. A film like Closer, while dangerously mind-polluting with bad language, is worth watching for its frank yet cruel truthfulness, which everybody will need some time in our lives.

This review was written by Jasmine Goh. We can’t find her details right now. So if you want to contact her, go build a fire.