Una sola noche

LAST NIGHT is a tightly woven tale that explores the psyches of four people in one fascinating evening. This is the initial directing outing for Iranian-American writer Massy Tadjedin ('The Jacket', 'Leo') who also created the story and the script: the film is so fine that we doubtless will be hearing more about her.

Joanna Reed (Keira Knightley) is a beautiful young writer married to commercial real estate developer Michael Reed (Sam Worthington) in what appears to be a happy marriage despite the struggle between two careers. Michael takes Joanna to a company party and there she observes the soft spoken Michael paying attention to one of his co-workers, the sensuous Laura (Eva Mendes), an act that Joanna feels indicates unfaithfulness or at least suspicious behavior on Michael's part. The seed of doubt is planted, Michael is leaving for a business trip to Philadelphia the next morning with his coworkers Andy (Anson Mount) and Laura, and there is friction between Joanna and Michael that Michael's reassurance cannot overcome. The next day as Joanna sops for coffee she encounters an old flame from her time spent writing in Paris - Alex Mann (Guillaume Cadet) - and they agree to meet that evening. Chemistry resurges and that evening as Alex and Joanna dine with Alex's publisher Truman (Griffin Dunne), both are questioned by Truman about their past affair, Joanna admits she is now married, and Alex is in a relationship in Paris. The couple leaves and circumstances lead them to return to Joanna's apartment where they face their feelings. At the same time as this evening is developing Michael and Laura enter a seduction dance: Michael is faithful to Joanna but the emotionally bruised Laura persists in her attempt to pull Michael into her web. The manner in which each of these temptations resolves and the aftermath is the brilliance of Massy's writing and direction: this is a story written very much form a women's vantage and that fact allows each of the characters to become very well defined and credible.

The quartet of actors is well matched: Knightley continues to mature as a fine actress, Sam Worthington breaks out of his stodgy shell to allow us to see a man driven by fidelity and tempted by lust, Eva Mendes takes Laura to a higher dimension of being, and Guillaume Cadet is undeniably an Alex who few women could resist: he has true star power. The method of pairing the development of the one night by flashing back and forth between the progress of the two couples in the dance of seduction vs fidelity is extremely successful. This is a thinking person's movie and an introduction of a writer/director who already has shaped the beginnings of a successful career. Highly Recommended.

Grady Harp

Rather enjoyed this film at the Rome Film Festival last night. The atmosphere of New York by night and the soundtrack itself made it worth the half an hour delay getting in! The main performances are strong, Keira puts in a surprisingly convincing interpretation as the wife who meets her previous love the day her husband is out of town with a female colleague he likes. It discusses the nature of love, betrayal, marriage and sentiment in a thoughtful way, without the usual labelling of people as cheaters and victims. It should encourage us to realise that life and relationships are more complex and that ultimately, nobody really belongs to anyone (however much we might like to think we do). It's a shame these days that we only get to see the lives of the beautiful, very well-to-do folk (in their wonderful apartments, sipping on fine wine) on the big screen as if temptation within marriage was a luxury that only the wealthy and obscenely photogenic can afford. Anyway, universal themes are dealt with well and it's good fodder for a long conversation afterwards.

I am very surprised "Last Night" got a rather lukewarm user rating on IMDb. From my point of view it is a movie that is very honest, if terrible in its depiction of relationships, love and faith. There were many moments, where I expected the movie to lose its momentum, where the filmmakers could have chickened out, but that never happened. Maybe too much is talked about, when some things could have been told through pictures. Then again, I found all dialog very believable. My only criticism concerns Sam Worthington's rather wooden performance. Apart from that "Last Night" really knocked me off my feet, from the beginning right until the brilliant final scene.

OK, what is going on please? Here is an excellent, skilfully crafted, intelligently paced and well structured movie with a most complimentary screenplay, and it should of course be rated at 8.x out of 10. Yet, as I write it is barely rated above average. Sorry, but I have to knock myself on the head a couple of times just to check that I am now indeed only seeing 6.7 out of ten for a most excellent relationship themed movie.

I am not at all sure what is wrong with most people who've rated this movie "a notch above so so", save for the usual obvious problems when it comes to matters of 'most people'... Nonetheless, I am reminded that most people often get it right: Matchpoint was correctly rated, Two Lovers was fairly rated, Before Sunrise also got the high rating it so deserved. However, here is a movie which is every bit as excellent as those named movies, albeit being in its own inimitable way different, yet it is still currently (Spring 2011) faced with the travesty of being so unjustly under-appreciated.

Please watch this movie if the themes of modern relationships, loyalty, trust, and betrayal are of any interest to you, and you should find, as I did, that its insanely 'above average rating' is well short of the mark. For this movie is a near masterpiece as a study of such themes. The performances of the lead actors/actresses, its screenplay, direction, score, production are all first rate. Don't miss this movie if you've a brain in your head, and if themes concerning relationships are of any interest to you at all. I also rated Matchpoint, Before Sunrise, & Two Lovers very highly, in case you're wondering if my word is worth following. Then you should also find it to be worth a far more realistic 9/10

"What I wouldn't give to have tired of you." After a party makes her feel uneasy Joanna (Knightley) thinks that her husband Michael (Worthington) is cheating on her. The next day he leaves on a business trip, with the women (Eva Mendes). The same day Joanna runs into her past love and spends time with him. Both are tempted to do what they shouldn't. This is a movie that you have to let form. The first half hour or so is a little slow, but then it really starts to take shape and the ending will leave you wanting more. Being a man, this is not usually the type of movie that I enjoy, but I really did like this one. I would call this a more subdued version of "Closer", much less overt sex and much more subtle love. Much like "Closer" you are pulled back and forth between who you like and who you don't. Who is right and who is wrong. Who you want to root for, and who you shouldn't. Either way this is a very emotionally powerful movie that will leave you wishing there was more. Overall, I surprisingly liked this movie a lot. This is a very emotional movie that will leave you thinking. That's a good thing. I give it a B+.

Would I watch again? - I actually think I might.