The Face of Love - Liebe hat viele Gesichter

Saw the US premiere of this movie at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The director, Arie Posen, described the inspiration for this film. His mother thought that she saw her late husband walking across the street one day. Of course, it could not have been him, but it was a powerful experience for her. I think many of us have this fantasy of being with a loved one again. It explored the fine line between extreme grief and mental illness. The movie is very well cast, with Annette Bening and Ed Harris delivering strong and believable performances - and chemistry! There were many suspenseful moments where the audience gasped - because we knew what was going on, but the other characters in the movie did not. Throughout the entire movie I was wondering how this could possibly end, but the film does manage to find a conclusion - it does not leave the viewer to write the ending, like so many movies these days.

I found the premise interesting but was quite surprised at just how engaging the film was. Without giving anything away, be prepared to be drawn into the anticipation in this film. Great cast, excellent acting and kudos to the director as he kept Bening right on point with how she looked at Ed Harris...you could really feel the depth of her gaze. Don't be put off by the film warnings as they were so minimal compared with most films online today and that made this film so refreshing to watch.

Nikki Lostrom (Annette Bening) is devastated by loss of her husband Garret Mathis (Ed Harris). Summer (Jess Weixler) is their daughter. It's 5 years later. She stages open houses. Roger Stillman (Robin Williams) is her neighbor and friend. She starts stalking and then dating college professor Tom Young (Ed Harris) who looks exactly like his dead husband. She hides his resemblance from everyone. He's still friends with his ex Ann (Amy Brenneman).

Arie Posin sets up an interesting premise. I wish he had taken more chances. The movie never really raises the tension. This could be a highly emotional character study. Annette Bening is definitely a good enough actress to carry that out. This could be a case of obsession but it's not really. This could have been a lot of things but it never gets there. I kept thinking she could just tell him the truth. The movie could have moved to an even more compelling emotional landscape after Nikki comes clean with Tom. The movie feels stretched out as we wait for the inevitable reveal.

Overall I loved this movie. Annette Bening is so poised and a natural who makes the story believable. Ed Harris does a decent job as well. For the most part it is a drama but there were some funny parts in it too. Yes the story is a bit far-fetched but for me it worked and it left me thinking which is always a good thing. There are themes of love, loss, grief, healing, second chances and renewal of lost passion. Loved the house she lived in! The use of artistry served as a wonderful backdrop for their relationship. I watched this twice and really enjoyed it. So good to see Annette Bening again! I wish she made more movies. Give this movie a chance. My mom liked it too.

Stars Annette Bening as a widow who grieves for her dead husband (Ed Harris). We briefly see them as a happy couple vacationing in Mexico and then he dies. Flash forward 5 years and she's settled into her dull life until one day she visits a museum. And there she spies a dead ringer for her dead husband (Harris again). She's jarred from her fugue state and before she knows it she's back at the museum on a daily basis, hoping to catch a glimpse of the look-alike.

The story then takes on a journey not unlike that in VERTIGO, whereby Bening stalks and befriends Harris and tries to re-create him in the manner of her dead husband. As she descends more and more into this fantasy, she gets derailed by her grown daughter and a nosy neighbor. How can she explain this? How can they accept this? She flees to Mexico with Harris but is undone by an old photograph.

The VERTIGO connection is deliberate and even the music echoes Bernard Herrmann's. Had never heard of this film, but it was a good find.