The Edge of Love

Love triangle? Forget it, this is a love square involving famous poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys), his wife Caitlin (Sienna Miller), his lover and later her friend Vera (Keira Knightley) and an admirer of her, the soldier William (Cillian Murphy). But not necessarily involving all of them together, even though there's the knowledge of all parts that there's something on in between them. And the background of this turbulent relationship is England during World War 2 with the bombs falling over their heads while they "love" and hate each other, and write poems about it. "The Edge of Love" isn't a romantic story of meetings, falling in love and break-ups, it's the upside of those, it's everything else but love. Pitiful.

It's about selfish characters using the L word to express themselves and make this movie going. Whatever that was it wasn't love. Only William perhaps, he's the only genuine soul in this and the one who got hurt the most. A good lesson to be learned in here. If you're going to get too close, you really must try your best to know the other one. Strange friendship relations are also explored in here. In what world you would imagine a woman making friends with her husband's lover and expecting nothing more to happen? Whatever. William is real while the other folks were just exploiters seeking benefits, money or used as muses in order to "help" the creative genius of a nasty drunk bugger. And what was the point of this, anyway? To prove that friendship can last even after a lot of misunderstandings and betrayals? Gee, how exciting for a motion picture to be developed. Next time, a similar work (but better!) could be made about writer Euclides da Cunha (Google it, please!) and that would make a far more interesting (and even more tragic) piece than this film.

The real life, in this particular case, wasn't all that interesting, therefore this is a movie that not even a great screenplay would make it better. Skip this with no regrets and treat yourself with "Bright Star" which is about a real love story, with very meaningful things to say and there's the delightful words of John Keats to leave you marveled. In there, it's life and art combined producing quality material. Here, there's nothing. I know very little of Dylan Thomas and after "The Edge of Love" I'll still know very little of him. Why? Not only does this movie doesn't generate any kind of sympathy for the man (couldn't even care for the actor playing him as well), almost no attributes and it gives so little of the artist (which sounds very limited with his writings) that I simply lost it. I won't search for his books. And that's the worst kind of service a movie can make while making a portrayal of a real figure. As quoted by a famous character in another movie: "He was a genius, a poet and a drunk." I can only agree with the last part.

It wasn't that bad. There's a gorgeous cinematography very suitable for the game of appearances all the characters were involved, good costumes and art direction, and Cillian was the best thing in it with this decent guy who falls in love with the wrong person, goes to the war and sees its horrors to later return transformed and with his marriage going downhill, poor and with a kid to raise. I cared for this character, opposed to the poet which not only I hated but couldn't understand what women saw in him. It may be the words but those don't translated so well while echoed in tiring voice overs. It sounds pretentious and lifeless. And it certainly wasn't for the looks, since he was quite ugly and with no expression. Keira and Sienna work best when they're together sharing their stories and dreams; with the male actors is just embarrassing to look. Still one of the weakest films I've ever seen. 5/10.

Welsh poet Dylan Thomas excused from serving in active duty is doing his bit for the war effort producing bits of prose for some propaganda branch of government in Whitehall.

Thomas is portrayed as a freethinker believing in free love married to a woman with an equally demanding artistic streak and likewise with a penchant for extramarital romance. Thomas writing and reciting his poetry in systematic domestic mayhem throughout becomes somewhat priggish towards the end, resting somewhat uncomfortably on his society connections and pulling rank on a war veteran, who had shot up his house, and who was incidentally married to the woman he had been having an affair with.

The real story of this film is the love of two women, one (Keira Knightley) whose first love was Thomas (Matthew Rhys), the second (Sienna Miller) who is Thomas's wife. At times it reminds of The Singing Detective, as in very good television with slightly sinister overtones laid on top of scenes of surreal camp absurdity.

This beautifully made film possibly evokes the feel of London in the blitz more than any other film. Set during wartime, it's about relationships and friendship. Primarily it's about the friendship between Keira Knightly's character and that of Siena Miller which is tested beyond any limit known to man.... or in this case, woman. Everyone looks great, everyone seems real and the very stylish photography and energy of the direction make this a real masterpiece of fine art.

The story, incidentally written by Keira Knightly's mother(!) brilliantly captures the mood and the anxieties, fears and hopes of the time and by focusing on the main, slightly unhinged characters, enhances these emotions and mental stains. Everything is switched up to level 11 but behind a mask of British restraint and respectability. The story arc itself is both engaging and genuinely exciting - it's not a soppy love story or a chic-flick for the poetry reading set - it's set during the war after all!

As much as the story is great, one big problem is that it is mainly made-up nonsense. The characters and events were real but they didn't happen like this. The real facts actually sound just as interesting but probably they would not have had Keira Knightly looking quite so hot? Never let the facts get in the way of a good story, as they say!

With the shadow of La Knightely looming large, I really wanted "The Edge Of Love" to be another "Atonement" - a big, beautiful looking, poetic wartime romance - but it wasn't. Do not get me wrong, there are many good things in "The Edge Of Love". It just did not touch my heart the way that "Atonement" did.

The acting is uniformly fine. Tabloid darlings Keira Knightley, and Sienna Miller especially, proved that their performances in "Atonement" and "Factory Girl" respectively were no flash in the pan. They were both excellent. Cillian Murphy is also good as Keira Knightley's war traumatised husband and Matthew Rhys got to the heart of the indifferent, drunken, selfish chancer that was Dylan Thomas.

"The Edge Of Love" looks fantastic. Contrast and compare the cinematography of the 'London during the blitz' setting of the first half with the bleakness of the Welsh coastal town of the second half. The first half of the film presents almost a fantasy world: Dreamy and just out of focus. Smoky pubs, soft lighting and shadows. The second half of the film presents a hard reality: Harsh pebble beaches and wide open spaces. Rain, grass, pain and small town mediocrity. In the former romance flourishes amid the cigarette smoke and the alcohol; in the latter romance fractures, and there will be a reckoning for bad behaviour.

(I will say at this juncture that most critics have written that the film loses it's heart when it moves out of London. I disagree. I think the film becomes real and true once it moves to Wales. The second half is my favourite half of the film.)

But sadly, and whisper this very quietly, "The Edge Of Love" is just a little bit too dull. Mood movies, and "The Edge Of Love" is definitely a mood movie, have to walk a very fine line between immersion in atmosphere and the demands of plot to keep the punters interested. Too often "The Edge Of Love" falls into the former. It needed more story.

Not a bad film, just one that could have been better.

This is primarily about love in WWII, yet we must remember that it's also a biopic for Dylan Thomas and those around him at this particular stage in his life.

The movie's timing is just great. It really captures what I think would have been the spirit during those times; smiling and hoping you're not going to get bombed. While it may prove boring to some, the movie does have a particularly dangerous edge to it.

At one point, my heart was racing towards the end as the movie hits its climax. It really does feature some poignant moments that are handled with skill by the four main actors. Cillian Murphy is on fine form here, as is Matthew Rhys. Both are polar opposites and it makes for an interesting watch. The relationship formed between Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley's characters is wonderful and we have the acting to thank (and watch out for a cameo by Suggs of 'Madness').

Despite all of this, it's a rather slow movie. Coupled with the fact it's just shy of two hours, it's quite a slog to get to the conclusion.

Overall, it's a solid non-fiction war movie with many wonderfully crafted moments that were no doubt helped by the splendid number of well-known British names behind the scenes. But it really does drone on for too much at times. Still, a worthwhile watch. 7/10